


Too Much Love Will Kill You

by chasingwildhorses33



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Canonical Child Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Long, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, Young Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28833690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingwildhorses33/pseuds/chasingwildhorses33
Summary: Too much love will kill you, and you won't understand why.Alternating perspectives between both Sirius Black and Lily Evans, starting from their very first train journey in 1971, to their very last in 1978. It's a long one!This IS both Wolfstar and Jily, but incredibly slowburn. It will take a while!
Relationships: Alice Longbottom/Frank Longbottom, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 17
Kudos: 33





	1. I Can Tell That We Are Going To Be Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Too much love will kill you  
>  If you can't make up your mind  
> Torn between the lover  
> And the love you leave behind  
> You're headed for disaster  
> 'Cause you never read the signs  
> Too much love will kill you - every time ___

**Sirius ******

********

It was 1971, another September had rolled around, and students both new and old were pouring onto the platform, each alive with anticipation of the coming school year. The older ones greeting their friends amicably, teasing each other about new hair dos or complaining how little they wrote over the summer, whilst the first years stood glued to their families, soaking up the last of their company. A girl with fiery red hair laughed as her parents embraced her. She was not used to being around so much magic, it coursed through the air as strongly as it coursed through her veins. She turned to talk to her sister but was met with cold eyes which refused to look at her. Behind them stood a boy with stubbornly untidy hair, ducking as his mother tried to tame it. Watching him was an eager, round faced boy pretending to tire of his own mother’s fussing. There was only one student on the platform who didn’t seem to want to board the train, tugging his sleeves down whilst his parents whispered into his ear. It was a place of new beginnings.

********

The clock was running dangerously close to 11 when a pale, dark haired boy stumbled through the barrier. In the air hung a quality he had never experienced before. Not magic - he had been around magic his entire life – but one filled with joy and anticipation. A smile crept onto his face: things were about to change. Without waiting for his mother to appear, Sirius heaved his trunk onto the train. He felt the weight ease and looked up to see the messy haired boy helping him.  


“Thanks!” offered Sirius. The other boy grinned.  


“Don’t mention it. C’mon, we best go claim a compartment.” Sirius followed him eagerly, peering through the doors until they reached a compartment occupied by only one boy, already in his school robes. Sirius swung his trunk up and settled his disgruntled owl before throwing himself on the seat opposite the boy, who seemed to be determinedly avoiding his eyes. The boy Sirius had followed leaned against the window, scanning the crowd.  


“I expect we’ll be off in a second, it’s just struck eleven,” he said cheerfully, and sure enough, as the eleven gongs rang out, doors swung shut up and down the train. The other boy was now also searching for his parents rather more frantically. Sirius didn’t bother. He felt his himself relax, he was leaving, finally leaving. The tension that had been holding his body hostage morphed into confidence, and he looked at the other boys as they collapsed back into their seat, throwing them one of his most mischievous grins.  


“And we’re off!” he said.  


“Man, finally! I’ve been waiting for this moment since I could SAY Hogwarts!” said the messy haired boy. He has no idea, thought Sirius. “Still, I’ll miss the crib of course. I’m James Potter the way.” The eagerness that had rushed into Sirius earlier deflated slightly. A Potter. The Blacks and the Potters’ rivalries go back for centuries. Still, it wasn’t as if he was proud of his family, but James didn’t know that.  


“I’m Sirius,” he said quickly, neglecting to mention his surname. He was glad to hear his voice still at least sounded confident. They both turned expectantly towards the other boy. Sirius now looked at him properly. He had soft, dusty-brown curls that fell artfully over his eyes. In contrast to the energetic, healthy looking James he was thin and peaky, and looked very gentle.  


“Remus Lupin,” He said simply. “how do you do?” His voice had a quality to it Sirius couldn’t describe.  


“Wicked!” said James, rubbing his hands together. His voice was cheerful, almost like laughter. For a moment, Sirius felt awkward. He didn’t really know how to talk to these boys.  


“Now, when do you reckon lunch will be, I could eat a hippogriff!” said James, peering into the corridor.  


“We’ve only just left, you can’t be hungry yet!” Sirius snorted.  


“I’m a growing lad, I need my food!” protested James. Sirius looked him up and down dramatically.  


“Yes, I can see that, got a bit of growing to do haven’t you?” The shorter boy let out an indignant cry. Sirius flinched, but James just chuckled appreciatively. Suddenly, the noise of the train’s horn sang out. Sirius let out an involuntary whoop. He blushed when James started hysterically laughing, but soon realised James wasn’t laughing at him. Sirius and Remus looked at one another, curiously.  


“What’s so funny,” said Sirius, cringing slightly at the demanding tone in his voice.  


“I just… came up… with the best… joke..” he wheezed, struggling to breathe. “How does a train eat?” he said after a while.  


“Erm, je ne – I don’t know?” answered Sirius, utterly bewildered.  


“CHEW CHEW!” yelled James. Sirius tried to keep a straight face.  


“That, was the worst joke,” a smile was creeping across his cheeks, “I’ve ever heard in my long, long life.” He was chuckling by the end, unable to help himself.  


“Oh yeah, what’s with the laughter then?” teased James.  


“Oh, I dont know, maybe your ridiculous impression of a train?”  


This banter carried on between the two boys for a few hours, Sirius could tell Remus was listening, even though his gaze remained fixed out the window. Although Sirius put up an easy, carefree nature, he was secretly feeling very nervous. He had never had friends before, at least not ones he liked. And here were two boys, one who understood Sirius’ jokes and laughed harder than Sirius had heard anyone laugh, and one who, although quiet and pensive, Sirius somehow knew there was a lot more to meet the eye.  


“So, what House do you want be in?” asked James cheerfully. Well, it probably is a cheerful topic for him, thought Sirius. He wasn’t going to spend the next seven years surrounded by the type of people found at Sirius’ house. He wasn’t so weighed down by the pressure from his family he could hardly breathe. Luckily, before he could answer, the trolley arrived, and James catapulted himself clumsily out the carriage to feast his eyes on the treats. Sirius and Remus followed him. Sirius was back inside the carriage, moneybag significantly lighter when he realised Remus had only chosen one chocolate frog, to go with his sandwiches. He watched as Remus let out a gasp of surprise when the frog leapt out the packet, face lit up with joy as he watched the frog jump around before Sirius snatched it up deftly and passed to Remus.  


“You neffa had choflate frob?” spluttered James incredulously with his mouth full. Remus was savouring the creamy goodness of the magical chocolate.  


“Are you muggle born?” Asked Sirius, shocked.  


“Why? Is that a problem?” Demanded James immediately, eyes narrowed. Sirius flushed. His tone of shock was simply because he had never met a muggle born before. His family, well, he didn’t agree with them anyway.  


“Course not,” muttered Sirius, mortified. But Remus was shaking his head.  


“No, no, my dad’s a wizard, but my mum’s a muggle, and so she would get me muggle sweets,” he said hurriedly. James looked as if he had never heard a tale more tragic.  


“You poor thing!” he stage whispered shoving sweets in Remus’ direction. “Righto, you gotta try everything, no protesting, I consider it my duty.” As James eagerly showed Remus the liquorish wands, Sirius vaguely wondered what had happened to Remus to make him look so frightened of the world. Beside him, James seemed to radiate confidence, it oozed out of him like a bottomless cauldron, spilling over into the compartment and the other boys. Sirius let himself latch onto it. The three boys spent the afternoon eating the sweets, even Remus joined in on the laughter as James spat out what he claimed was a bogie flavoured bean, and it hit Sirius right on the forehead.  


“You Snollygoster!” Roared Sirius, wiping away the offending bean whilst James fell off his seat with laughter. He grabbed his own packet of beans and started pelting them at James, laughing too. They never did stop laughing the rest of the journey.

********

Sirius had only just pulled on his robes when the train began to slow. A fresh wave of excitement washed over him. James look equally excited. Remus looked slightly nauseous. Snatching up Archimedes, his owl, followed Remus out the compartment, who stumbled into someone.  


“Watch it." He snarled. Sirius looked at the boy. He was about Sirius’ height, but skinnier, with lanky hair so greasy that a houseelf might mistake it for a cooking pan. Something about the way he was looking at Remus made Sirius’ blood boil.  


“Is there something you wanted to say, slime ball?” James stood in between Remus and the other boy. He glared at James, lip curled.  


“I expect you’ll be put in Gryffindor,” he smirked.  


“Judging from the fact you’re saying that like it would be a bad thing, I’ll bet you’re a Slytherin.” Sirius’ cheeks burned, and he tugged on his hair at the scruff of his neck.  


“Severus, what’s going on?” said a girl behind him. “Hurry up, I want to see the castle!” She was alive with excitement, and Severus hurried after her, after taking the time to give James a look of loathing. Following out the compartment, was the round-faced boy, who hurried after them. Sirius hopped off the train, helping Remus down too. He was aware how strangely warm Remus’ hands were.  


“Firs’ years, this way firs’ years!” A voice called out above the bustle of the platform. Sirius looked for the source, and his jaw dropped as his eyes fell on the humungous outline of the man.  


“Wicked.” He breathed before pushing his way through the crowd to speak to the man. “Hello sir!” he called up.  


“Alrigh’? Don’t call me sir, makes me blush. Hagrid’ll do,” He beamed, before calling the first years to follow. James and Remus had caught up, and they all followed Hagrid down to the lake. And before Sirius could prepare himself, the castle appeared through the mist. Everyone breathed sounds of awe, transfixed.  


“There she is!” crooned Hagrid. “Welcome home!” Sirius couldn’t tear his eyes away as he clambered into the boat. Home? Home. How could he already feel more at home than he had in his entire life.  


Sirius would never forget that boat ride. He had been surrounded by magic his entire life, he had first shown signs of it at age three, but this was the first time in his life he had ever felt like he was a part of something truly magical. As they reached the other side, James whispered in Sirius’ ear. “Just think how much Hagrid has to eat if he’s that size! Actually never mind that, think how big his – “  
“Do you ever think about anything OTHER than food Potter?” chuckled Sirius, as he stood up to clamber out.  


“Course. Quidditch, pranks, pushing rude first years out of boats, all the usual.”

********

Hardly daring to breathe, Sirius stepped through the grand doors. As the light hit his face, he tried to capture this exact feeling to store in his memory forever. A moment where it felt anything was escapable, even his past. His legs began to tremble as he walked into the Great Hall for the first time. He forced himself not to search the Slytherin table for the faces of his cousins which he loathed so much. On his left James nudged him and pointed at the ceiling. Or was it the sky? Stars glistened through wisps of clouds. It was almost enough to distract him from what he knew was coming. From what he was dreading. 

The closer he got to it, the deeper was the realisation he didn’t want to be in Slytherin, for that would only mean he could never get away from the blackness of his past, from the Black that ran through his blood. He wanted to defy his mother, his father, every member of that family that had ever hurt him or someone else. More than anything. But what if no other house would take his blackened blood? What if he truly was a Slytherin? Would his Mother even allow the Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Black to be put in anything other than Slytherin? Sirius struggled to keep his hands steady. He became aware a tall witch with a severe bun was talking.  


“…place the hat upon your heads, which will decide your house.” Sirius was panicking now as “Anderson, Caleb” was called up. He assumed he only had a few people before his name was called. He felt sick. If the hat saw inside your head then…  


“Black, Sirius.” To his left James stirred suddenly, but Sirius was already walking towards the hat that would decide his future. The hat slipped over his eyes and he immediately heard a small voice in his head.  


_Well, well, well. If it isn’t another Black, I know what I usually do with your blood. _  
__

__But Sirius screwed up his eyes and thought frantically, I’m not like them, I’m not like them.  
_ _

_Why, yes, I saw that straight away. Your lack of loyalty to your family shows a rebellious attitude, that takes bravery young man, lots of bravery. And yet I sense your lack of devotion to your family is not to suggest unloyalty, no, definitely not. And yet, the loyalty you are yet to show will need such fierce courage so I put you in… _  
__

___“GRYFFINDOR!”  
_ _ _

___Sirius could only stumble vaguely in the direction of the clapping, reaching the bench just in time before his knees gave way. The Gryffindors around him were eyeing him nervously, they all knew the name of Black. Sirius looked over his shoulder and his eyes met immediately with Narcissa, he felt his body go cold._ _ _

___Turning back, he set his jaw and watched as his future classmates were sorted. When “Evans, Lily” was called, he saw the red-haired girl scurry to the front. The smile she had flashed the greasy haired boy as she sat down was wiped off her face when the hat announced  
___

___“GRYFFINDOR!”_ _ _

___Sirius clapped good-naturedly with the rest as she took a seat across from him, looking a little disappointed. But she soon cheered up, clapping with the rest of Gryffindor House._ _ _

___Sirius was growing impatient when ‘Lupin, Remus’ was finally called. He found himself crossing his fingers and roared louder than anyone when the hat announced Gryffindor. Remus saw Sirius and hurried over to him. The next two to join the Gryffindor table were Marlene Mckinnon and Peter Pettigrew. As ‘Potter, James.’ was called, Sirius and Remus both held their breath. Because of this unapologetically loud boy, Sirius had laughed more than he had in his entire life, which had taught him he loved to laugh more than anything. So, when the hat called out “GRYFFINDOR!” as soon as it touched James’ head, he laughed once more, whooping and clapping. James hesitated slightly when he saw Sirius, but nevertheless made Lily Evans move over so he could sit opposite, looking mighty pleased with himself. The disgruntled look remained on Lily’s face until she heard ‘Snape, Severus’. Similar to James, the sorting hat had made its decision as soon as it grazed the crest of his head. However, the house it declared was “SLYTHERIN”. Lily looked disapointed. Sirius heard James’ stomach rumble from across the table as they waited impatiently for the end of the sorting._ _ _

_____ _

********

_____ _

After a long time, ‘Yaxley, Corban’ was sorted into Slytherin – after giving Sirius a shock to hear his familiar name – and the stern witch returned to her seat. Silence fell as Dumbledore stood, beaming around at all his students.  


“Welcome, welcome!” he said warmly. “Well, I won’t keep you, grubs up!” and with that, the tables were creaking under masses of food.  


“Oi you!” cried James accusingly, piling his plate with food “You never mentioned you were a Black!” The word 'black' pierced Sirius' gut.  


“It wasn’t particularly something I wanted to advertise, particularly to a Potter,” muttered Sirius. James blinked, then nodded appreciatively.  


“Fair enough,” he admitted. “You do seem like a good sort. I expect the hat put you in Gryffindor for a reason.” Sirius smiled. Yes, he thought, he was here for a reason. But, Sirius thought as he felt Narcissa’s eyes burning into his back, at what cost?

_____ _

********

_____ _


	2. It's a Kind of Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Chapter from Lily's Perspective! If you haven't noticed, the chapter names are the names of songs I think give the vibe of the chapter the best!  
> Feel free to leave feedback in the comments section!

**Lily ******

********

Lily Evans was the first to wake in her dormitory. She had been the last asleep too, listening to her new roommates’ breathing for hours before she could bring herself to even close her eyes. It was all true! Every bit of what Dumbledore had told her on her birthday and more! It wasn’t one over-the-top prank, or one really long dream. She really was a – a witch. Smiling, she tossed off her covers and made her way to the window. In the early morning light the lake sparkled enticingly – magically. Her eyes were drawn to the dark forest and she remembered Professor Dumbledore’s words of warning the previous night, which if anything had left her yearning to know what secrets it held. It would be hours until breakfast, but Lily pulled on her robes, tingling with anticipation of the day. Only one thing weighed her down; Petunia. The sound of her older sister’s hateful parting words rung through her head. _Freak, freak, freak. _In that moment, she grabbed her school bag she had prepared the night before and slipped downstairs. Her breath caught as the common room she already loved so much came into view. It looked beautiful in the early morning light. Lily chose a particularly squashy looking armchair by the window, and wasn’t surprised in the least when she discovered it to be the comfiest chair she’d ever sat in. She pulled out her strange parchment and quill and started her letter.__

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_Dear Mum, Daddy and Tunie,  
I’m writing this early in the morning on my first day, because I’ve already got too much to say, and if I wait till later I’ll never fit everything I want to in.  
Oh, you wouldn’t BELIEVE it! I don’t even know where to begin! On the train I was in a carriage with Severus of course, a boy called Peter, and some older students that told us all about which teachers to watch out for, and secrets of the school. And then, oh it was so exciting, the lunch trolley came, and I was expecting cheese sandwiches or sausage rolls, but there was all these amazing sweets and chocolates. I’ll try and send you some Tunie, I know you’d love the chocolate frogs, they MOVE! And then there’s Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans (they really do mean Every Flavour, grass, earthworm, ink, you name it!) but I don’t suppose you’d like them Tunie, Daddy you would! I could hardly WAIT to get to Hogwarts, but we finally did! I cannot describe to you the feeling I felt when I saw the castle for the first time. It was like when Professor Dumbledore came to explain to us about Hogwarts, and he made those glistening orbs hang in mid-air, but I was even more awestruck. And there’s this giant man, Hagrid, he’s so nice, he took us across on these little boats across the lake. And then, we got into the castle! The Great Hall is like the picture of Henry VIII’s dining hall in that history book we have! But the ceiling is the best! You know I read in my ‘Hogwarts: A History’ book about the enchanted ceiling? It really IS enchanted; I could hardly take my eyes off it! And we had to get sorted by this talking hat into our houses, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so nervous. But I looked up at the stars and I found Orian, just like you showed me Daddy, and I i thought, ‘those are the same stars that you all are under,’ and I felt so much braver. It talked to me! The hat I mean, it said it didn’t know where to put me, that he could sense kindness and loyalty (Hufflepuff house) but also saw a value in learning, (that’s Ravenclaw, and it’s true, I’m beyond excited to learn, but that’s definitely more to do with magic, you know how I hated numeracy!) But in the end, it decided to put me in Gryffindor! He said that I would show great courage and bravery in the years to come! Isn’t that wonderful! The feast was incredible, Dumbledore just clapped his hands and food actually APPEARED on the tables. And there are ghosts! But they’ve all got gracious manners and are very civilised. Oh I’ll tell you about the Gryffindor common room. There’s a portrait that you have to give a password to (I forgot to say, the paintings MOVE!) and she swings open for you to climb in. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment I stepped into the common room. There are these amazingly squashy armchairs all grouped together, (I’m sat in one now!) and Gryffindor tapestry hang on the walls. I’m looking out the window now and I wish you could see. As I stood there last night, looking around the strangest feeling came to me. I could so vividly imagine myself growing up here, doing homework on the desks, writing letters to you by the window, falling asleep in the armchairs.  
I’ll quickly tell you about my dormmates, because I’ve got to go soon! First of all, there’s Marlene Mckinnon. She’s sort of kept to herself mostly, but she’s a very intriguing character. I think she’s Scottish. Then there’s Mary McDonald, she seems real sweet, but she’s very shy at the moment. And then there’s Tatty Sullivan, she’s such a character, irish and awfully clumsy. Apparently she’s got FOUR older brothers, and a sister! And finally, Ananja Jain, she’s very chatty, has quite a contagious giggle.  
Missing you all very much,  
Love from Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ___

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The moment Lily had finished, there was an almighty crash as a boy tumbled down the staircase. She recognised him as the boy who had made her move over last night at the feast. His hair was even more tousled than the night before, almond skin turning red with embarrassment as he noticed Lily. His friend had now joined him, laughing breathlessly.  


____

“See you, Potter, I’ve got a race to win!” he yelled as he leapt over his fallen comrade. The Potter boy sprang up, and chased after his friend, getting hit in the face by the portrait swinging closed. No sooner had they gone when the other girls in Lily’s dorm appeared, ready to go for breakfast. Lily enjoyed listening to the combination of all the new accents that surrounded her as they wandered through the corridors.

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The Great Hall was no less magnificent than it had been the night before. In fact, if possible, it was even more spectacular, for this time Lily felt the beginnings of a sense of belonging. She quickly scanned the Slytherin table for Severus, but she couldn’t see him. She slid apprehensively into the seat next to Marlene Mckinnon, Tatty collapsing into the seat next to her.  


____

“Blessmysoul, those stairs are gonna keep us fit are’t they?” laughed Tatty, her words tumbling out her mouth. She sparked up a conversation with Ananja, leaving Lily to talk to Marlene. Lily had never been a shy person, but there was something about Marlene that made Lily feel nervous. So far, the girl had been quite icy with everyone, and the intense look in her eyes reminded Lily strangely of her own owl’s intimidating glare. As if she were judging everything in front of her. But Lily had built a relationship of trust and friendship with her owl, and she was determined to do the same with Marlene. Following Marline’s penetrating gaze to the staff table, Lily decided to make her move.  


____

“He’s quite peculiar, isn’t he?” She said boldly, gesturing to Professor Dumbledore. Marlene’s gaze flicked towards Lily, unblinking. Her blue eyes met Lily’s green ones. And there it was, the feeling that Marlene was looking inside of her.  


____

“I guess.” She said, tunelessly.  


____

“I mean,” pressed Lily. “When he came to visit me in the summer, he asked my mum to borrow her knitting magazine after he had explained everything, and he did return it. The very next day!” Marlene’s eyebrow had raised very slightly the moment she mentioned Dumbledore’s visit. An older student leant across from the opposite side of the table.  


____

“Sorry, did I hear you say Dumbledore did your visit?” She enquired.  


____

“Um, yeah,” Lily fumbled, embarrassed. “Why?” But the girl looked impressed.  


____

“Wow, he almost never does that. Usually it’s just a ministry official.” She said, leaning back.  


____

“Really?” Beamed Lily. The other girls looked impressed  


____

“I’m Dorcas by the way,” She said, sweeping her long, red box braids behind her shoulder, and Lily noticed a glimmer of gold intertwined in the hair. “Second year, how are you liking Hogwarts so far?” 

____

Before Lily could answer, excited chaos broke out all around them. Owls of every breed, size and colour were soaring over their heads, finding their owners. Not expecting anything, Lily was happy to watch as those around her opened letters and packages from their families. She noticed Mary MacDonald didn’t have any post. Did that mean Mary was also muggle born? She hoped so, it would be nice to have someone like her. Severus had taught her so much about the magical world, but she wasn’t sure that would help her when it came to doing magic. Abrubtly, Lily was being handed a piece of parchment by the witch Lily knew was Professor McGonagall, who informed her it was her school timetable. She scanned down Thursday’s column. She had potions first.  


____

“What have you got first, Marley?” asked Dorcas, shoving toast in her mouth, one eye on a letter from home. Marlene blushed at this address.  


____

“Don’t call me that.” She snapped rudely. Dorcas didn’t flinch.  


____

“Naww. What have you got first, Marlene?” she repeated teasingly. Lily was beginning to wonder if the two knew each other.  


____

“We’ve got potions.” Supplied Lily when Marlene didn’t answer, earning herself a glare.  


____

“Groovy. Do you know the way?” said Dorcas, slathering her toast with jam.

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So, it was with confidence that Lily led the other girls down to the dungeons. Her determination to remember the direction Dorcas had told her was so strong she forgot to look for Severus, remembering only when she arrived, and saw him standing alone outside the potions door.  


____

“Sev!” She cried happily, running up to him. On seeing her he smiled, straightening slightly. “How’s the Slytherin common room? How’s your dorm? Is it the same as Gryffindor but just different colours? Where is it?” She gushed, looking expectantly at her friend. But before he could answer a cold, sneering voice rung out behind Lily.  


____

“And who would you be?” The boy who was speaking was tall and lanky, a greedy expression on his face. He circled around Lily and shoved Severus out of the way. The rest of the first-years were watching cautiously.  


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“I don’t see why that’s your business.” Said Lily icily. The boy’s eyes flashed.  


____

“Oh, I see. Just another insubordinate, Gryffindor.” His voice deliberately paused to emphasise words.  


____

“Oo, that’s a big word, coming from such a tiny head. Did you practise that in the mirror?” It was true, the boy did have an unusually small head. The crowd around them snickered, and Lily felt a pang of guilt. That was until he stepped forward, scowling down at her, so close she could smell the coffee on his breath. Lily did not step back. Before the boy could say anything, the dungeon door swung open, and he leapt back, scowling. Suddenly, the corridor was filled with loud laughter as Potter and Black, this time with the boys Lily assumed were their dormmates marched round the corner. Tatty grabbed Lily’s arm.  


____

“That. Was. AMAZING!” she said excitedly.  


____

“Really?” Lily was already cringing at herself.  


____

“Seriously. That was Mulciber. Bad news. I already saw him bullying Second Years, and we haven’t been here 24 hours yet!” she whispered, speaking twice as fast as the usual person. Lily could sense Marlene watching her, and had a feeling she was quite impressed.  


____

“But Lily shouldn’t be getting on the wrong side of him then!” said Ananja anxiously, staring after Mulciber as he sauntered off into the dungeon.  


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“Ach, don’t be a goose. Lily was badass.” Lily giggled at Tatty’s strong language. Then she noticed Severus was still standing there, lamely.  


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“C’mon Sev,” said Lily, hurrying into the classroom, pulling the pale boy after her. They chose a desk at the front of the classroom, Tatty with Marlene behind them, shooting confused looks at Severus. 

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Much to Lily’s disappointment, the first years didn’t do any actual potions making that lesson, but the teacher showed them several interesting potions that they would be making throughout their time at Hogwarts. Professor Slughorn spent an awful lot of time talking about himself however, stories only mildly relevant to the potions he was showing the first years. Much to Lily’s pleasure, when he announced he would be demonstrating the ageing potion on one of them, he chose Mulciber. He drank a few mouthfuls of the potion and within seconds was hunched over, skin decorated with wrinkles, hair turning grey, a comically long beard that could rival Dumbledore’s. What’s more, he had stretched his robes so tight they ripped along the sides, and Slughorn, apologising, had to send him out to get changed, whilst the rest of the class roared with laughter.  


____

After the class was finished, Lily bid Severus farewell and hurried after the other girls. They had herbology next, so at least they knew where to go. As the five girls walked out of the front doors, Lily felt her breath catch. If the grounds had been beautiful last night they were mesmerising now. The lush green grass was still sparkling from the morning dew, as if it was trying to outshine the glimmering waters of the lake. There was a crispness in the air, a freshness Lily wasn’t used to, and the only noise it carried was the tinkling sound of laughter or chatter around her, no sound of toxic machinery. Lily wondered privately if she would ever get used to the beauty.  


____

As fascinating as Herbology was, she could feel her wand burning in her pocket, itching to use it. Marlene was nowhere to be seen at break, so Lily put her efforts into getting to know the other four. Break was pleasantly spent laughing at Tatty’s many stories of her family. By the time they were expected at transfiguration, they were becoming fast friends . They found Marlene waiting outside the classroom, alone. Had she spent all of break here? Suddenly an almighty racket that Lily had already learnt announced the arrival of Potter and Black echoed round the corridor. Rolling her eyes, she turned to walk into the classroom.

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	3. Brazzle Dazzle Day

**Sirius ******

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Sirius was back on the stool, sorting hat on his head. But this time, when the hat called out Gryffindor, the room erupted into booing and jeering. Sirius tried to make his way to the Gryffindor table but when he got there, everyone’s face had morphed into Narcissa Black’s. He backed away, tugging off the Sorting Hat as he did so. But instead of the hat he was holding Bellatrix’s face, broad lips curled into a jeering grin. 

It opened its mouth and began to chant: “I always knew you would bring shame on our family, traitor.” The words traitor echoed round the hall, all the Narcissas joining in.  


“No, n-no,” stammered Sirius, tears in his eyes. He tried to search for Dumbledore, Dumbledore would stop them. But sitting where the headmaster should be was his father, anger radiating from him like radiowaste.  


“I d-didn’t mean for this,” cried Sirius, but a voice interrupted him.  


“Yes he did! He asked to be put into Gryffindor!” It was James. Sirius fell backwards, and a shadow passed over him. He looked up in horror to see his mother, livid, holding a belt. Sirius shuddered and crawled backwards.  


“N-No, please,” he moaned. His Mother smiled a cruel, hateful smile.  


“This will teach you what happens when you bring shame to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.” She said softly, as the Narcissa’s and Bellatrix began to chant Sirius’ name.  


“Sirius, Sirius,” His Mother raised her arm to strike as the chanting grew louder.  


“Sirius. Sirius!” Sirius awoke with a start. Disorientated, he looked around frantically, and found Remus Lupin standing above him, looking nervous.  


“You – you were thrashing around,” he whispered softly.  


“I had a nightmare,” shuddered Sirius, avoiding Remus’ gaze. Great, now he would think Sirius was a wuss. And, thought Sirius angrily as he remembered the events of his dream, he was a wuss. He didn’t belong in Gryffindor.  


“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone,” whispered Remus in the same gentle voice. With that he picked up his robes and walked into the bathroom, leaving Sirius to catch his breath.

********

Ten minutes later, Remus was out, freshly washed, his neat curls tangled and wet. Sirius was reminded of some sort of ethereal painting. Desperate to get out of his sweaty nightshirt, he got in the shower without speaking to the stirring James. He stood there limply, not bothering to wash properly, but letting the hot stream of water envelop him as he tried not to start panicking again. It wasn’t like his Mother could march into school and demand he come home. Could she? Sirius slammed off the water and stood shaking in the cold air. It was only then did he notice the tears cascading down his face. No, he will not cry. Sirius Black does not cry, especially now he was in Gryffindor. He would be brave. So, he slipped into his robes and walked out the bathroom, a smile determinedly plastered on his face. But the smile spread to his eyes as he discovered the scene in front of him. For some unknown reason James was tangled up inside his duvet, thrashing around on the floor, yelling for help. Laughing, Sirius went to help the boy out.  


“Hold still you idiote,” he told James, trying to work out how to get him out. “What happened?” He directed the question at Remus, but it was the Peter boy who answered,  


“He tried to make his bed by magic, but I don’t think he knew how!” he managed before collapsing into giggles again. Sirius snorted as he located the buttons at the bottom of the duvet.  


“I think you went THROUGH the sheets,” he teased, pulling a disgruntled James out of the bundle. He lay there laughing, hair even more of a mess than Sirius thought possible, glasses askew and cheeks flushed from the exertion. He had changed into his robes whilst Sirius was in the shower. Then suddenly he grabbed his bag, and bounded for the door, calling behind him a challenge to a race.  


“No fair! You got a head start you cheat!” yelled Sirius whilst chasing after him.

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In the end it was James who won the race, despite his early on clumsiness. The two boys stood doubled over and panting in the entrance hall, both clutching at stitches. Sirius had straightened up when he heard a voice behind him which made his blood run cold.  


“Sirius.” She didn’t say it loudly, she didn’t have to. Her voice - although soft – cut through the air, holding the S slightly longer than she needed to, reminding Sirius unpleasantly of a snake.  


“I’ll catch you up,” Sirius told James and turned to look at Narcissa. He had never been afraid of Narcissa in the way he was afraid of her older sister, Bellatrix. She had blonde hair and a permanently upturned nose, which made he look just as snobby as she was.  


“What do you want,” he demanded through gritted teeth.  


“You know perfectly well what I want,” She snapped. He did. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? They’re all talking about you, all the Slytherins.”  


“Oh yeah?” growled Sirius through gritted teeth, “Were ‘family disgraces’ on your creepy little meeting agenda?” Narcissa opened her mouth to retort, but a hand closed on her shoulder.  


“Leave him alone, Cissy, you’ve done enough damage.” Said Narcissa’s older sister. Haughtily, Narcissa shrugged of Drommie’s hand. Sirius watched her stalk off.  


“She wrote home, didn’t she,” muttered Sirius. Drommie nodded, her thick eyebrows knitted together with concern. If Narcissa didn’t look like Bellatrix, Drommie definitely did. Thick eyebrows, dark hair, and startingly similar facial features. However, her eyes were far kinder, her voice could go soft without sounding taunting. She was the only person Sirius had ever trusted.  


“Sirius?” She used that soft voice now.  


“Leave me alone, Drommie,” snapped Sirius, heading for the Great Hall. But before he could take a step, Drommie had pulled him into a ferocious hug. “Drommieee,” Sirius wriggled, before relaxing into his older cousin. She had been the only person to hug him his entire life. She had held him many times before at moments like this. And as much as Sirius tried to pretend he didn’t like it, the truth was he needed it.  


“You tell me if you need something, alright?” she muttered, pulling away from Sirius.  


“Where’s the Slytherin common room?” He asked hopefully. Drommie rolled her eyes, ruffled his hair and walked away.

********

By the time Sirius walked into the transfiguration classroom, he was already having the best day of his life. He was very quickly learning how much fun it was possible to have whilst James Potter was around. When he first felt the sting of tears in his eyes he was shocked – he never realised you could laugh so hard you could cry. He took the seat next to James at the back of the class and gestured to Remus to take the desk to them. He saw Peter hesitate before scurrying into the seat next to Remus. Sirius could hardly sit with excitement, he had been watching his parents use magic ever since he was born, and he was itching to use his wand. Maybe, if he was good at magic, if he was better than Cissy or Drommie or even Bella, his mother would forgive him. Say she was proud. He hadn’t received a letter that morning, but he knew the silence wouldn’t last long, he just hoped it wouldn’t be a howler. 

Beside him, James was drumming on the desk with his wand, tapping out a complicated rhythm. Sirius would have been impressed, if it weren’t for the sparks that were flying out more and more ferociously, singeing the table. James didn’t seem to notice, lost in the beat, and before Sirius could warn him, flames had erupted out of the wand. THAT caught James’ attention, but he seemed unable to move with shock. Sirius grabbed him and pulled him out the way of the hungry flames. It looked as if the desk was quite flammable. The rest of the class was screaming, Sirius heard Lily Evans yell for an “extinguisher”, whatever that was it sounded useful. Suddenly, a jet of water erupted from the doorway, dousing the flames. Squinting through the smoke, he saw the outline of Professor McGonagall striding towards the smouldering desk. She flicked her wand and the smoke was gone.  


“Who would be responsible for this?” she snapped, and Sirius noticed how thin her lips were. James sheepishly raised his hand. Her eyes rested on him. “Do you care to explain why my desk is in ashes?” James was beginning to smile. He didn’t seem capable of not smiling for longer than a minute.  


“Well, you see Professor, it wasn’t exactly my fault,” McGonagall raised her eyebrows. “See, I was just drumming out that new Weird Sisters song – “  


“The what, Mr Potter?” She interrupted, eyebrows raising higher.  


“Weird sisters? Honestly, professor they’re the next big band I’m telling you, last month they – anyway, I didn’t realised sparks were flying out my wand and-” McGonagall’s eyebrows had now raised so far up her forehead James tailed off.  


“Do you mean to tell me, you were using your wand as a musical instrument, Mr Potter?” she said. The rest of the class were giggling now.  


“Awfully sorry, prof, really am.” Said James, not looking sorry in the slightest. McGonagall hmphed, and conjured a new desk for them. The two boys hurriedly took their chairs, trying exceptionally hard not to meet the other’s eye, for fear of collapsing into giggles.  


It took hardly a minute for McGonagall to settle the class, and she wasted no time in lecturing them all in the art of transfiguration. Similarly, James wasted no time in annoying her, again and again. He would ask cheeky questions without raising his hand, spill his ink on purpose, and goad Sirius into cheering rowdily whenever McGonagall would demonstrate a spell. Lily Evans did not approve, she kept turning around to glare at James. Sirius rather thought his friend was testing the witch. 

However, when she handed around matches (informing James most sternly any more flames would not be tolerated) for the class to turn in to needles, James seemed to forget to annoy the professor. Every student in the room had been waiting, for varying lengths of time, to use their wand. Excited, Sirius pointed his wand at the match and spoke the incantation, ready to poke James with his needle. But nothing happened. He tried again, and again, and again, but the match remained stubbornly the same. Panicking, he looked around to see if anyone else had managed the simple spell and was relieved to find no-one had. Everyone seemed to be using different approaches. By his side, James would close his eyes to focus for some time before he tried the spell. On his other side, Remus was trying to vary his pronunciation and wand movement slightly. Peter was slowly turning redder as he strained to cast the spell. Sirius turned back to his match, and for the following hour attacked the spell with a determination unrivalled to anything he had done before. It therefore came as a surprise when out of the depths of his concentration he was awoken by a sharp prick to his forearm. He turned to see a grinning James, proudly holding up his needle to show Sirius. It was rather blunt, and thick, but it was a needle nonetheless.  


By the end of the class, Sirius hadn’t made a significant effect on his matchstick. James, on the other hand, had managed to refine his needle to perfection. Professor McGonagall was most impressed, and Sirius could tell she wasn’t one to overly flatter. The only other person who had made any progress was Lily Evans, her needle was a good shape, but it was still stubbornly made of wood, not metal. James grinning and Sirius scowling, they left the classroom for lunch.

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	4. We Will Call This Place Our Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read, please comment if you have any questions or feedback for me!  
> p.s - the title is a quote from the song 'North' - a very marauder song, I recommend!

_We’ll tell our stories on these walls.  
Every year, measure how tall.  
And just like a work of art,  
We’ll tell our stories on these walls. ___

**Lily ******

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Lily screamed with laughter as Tatty Sullivan did a spot-on impression of Yaxley running from the classroom in his newly aged body. The five girls were in their dormitory, after experiencing what Lily knew was the best day of her life. Ananja was brushing her hair at the foot of Lily’s bed, Mary was swamped in her duvet, giggling shyly as she watched Tatty’s performance. Even Marlene was there, though she sat on the window ledge, only vaguely watching the others. Tatty bowed as the girls applauded and threw herself onto her bed.  


“Course the REAL entertainment was Lily battering him this morning,” said Tatty. Lily blushed but smiled at Tatty.  


“Daddy told me to always stand up for myself, and for my friends,” she shrugged.  


“Speaking _of _, Lily,” said Ananja, now hanging upside down to continue brushing her hair, “who was that _Slytherin _boy you were with?” Ananja had a habit of emphasising a lot of words when she spoke.  
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___“Severus? He’s been my friend for ages. He was the one who told me a was a witch!” Lily explained brightly. But Tatty, Ananja and Marlene all looked serious. Mary was looking nervously between them.  
_ _ _

___“He taught me a lot about the wizarding world,” continued Lily, confused. “I thought he was joking at first, but... What?” The others had now exchanged significant looks.  
_ _ _

___“Well, it’s just...” began Tatty, looking around her for help. “What do you know about Slytherin House?”  
_ _ _

___“Lots! Sev wanted us both to be in Slytherin. He said it was the best house and loads of powerful wizards came from Slytherin.” Lily gushed, desperate for the others to know that she did know things._ _ _

___Marlene snorted.  
“Loads of powerful wizards, he said, did he?” she spat, contemptuously. “I suppose he failed to mention that most of those powerful wizards are locked up in Askaban? That’s right,” she continued at Lily’s shocked face. “There’s not a witch or wizard that went bad that wasn’t in Slytherin.” _ _ _

___There was a silence, as Lily tried to understand. “But, that doesn’t mean every Slytherin is bad,” said Lily, cautiously.  
_ _ _

___“As good as,” retorted Marlene. Tatty and Ananja murmured in agreement.  
_ _ _

___“No!” Lily was surprised at the indignance in her voice. “No, I’m sorry but that’s not fair. You can’t judge someone just because of their house. That’s like saying just because all your family turn out to be criminals, that you’re expected to be one as well!” For the second time a stunned silence swept through the dormitory. Marlene continued to look at Lily.  
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___“You’re a good person, Lily.” Was all she said. The tension in the room was broken as Ananja fell off her bed._ _ _

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The next day passed with a flurry of excitement, and by breakfast on Saturday, Lily had become firm friends with most of the girls in her dorm. Marlene was the only exception. It was strange to think of the day that stretched ahead of them, no lessons to fill the time. Lily wondered happily how they would spend the weekend, quite content with the possibility of adventure as she spread her toast with marmalade. Still daydreaming, she bit into it. She spluttered and spat it back out in such an ungraceful way it would have made Petunia leave the table.  


“WHY?” Burst out Lily to Tatty and Ananja, “Do you witches and wizards just have to put pumpkin to EVERYTHING?” Ananja had collapsed into giggles again, and Tatty just looked perplexed.  


“Exactly!” said Mary, surprising Lily. She smiled at Mary, she hadn’t asked of her parentage before, but this might just confirm it.  


“Like there’s pumpkin juice, pumpkin JAM,” Lily began to count it on her fingers.  


“Pumpkin pasties,” chimed in Mary,  


“Pumpkin Pie, although I suppose muggles have that too,”  


“I think I saw pumpkin sauce instead of apple on the first night!” laughed Mary. Tatty was looking between the two of them exasperatingly.  


“But pumpkin’s just so good!” She argued, clutching her glass of pumpkin juice to shield it from further offense. At that moment Gideon Prewitt, a sixth year prefect, asked Lily to pass him the jug of pumpkin juice, looking very confused when the group of girls collapsed into giggles at his request. Lily saw him self-consciously check his reflection in his spoon.

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The girls spent the morning in the common room, discussing the previous two days. Lily had received a letter from her parents that morning, courtesy of her owl – Athena, and kept re-reading it over and over again. She noticed Sirius Black was also rereading a letter from home, tears glistening in his eyes. She wondered if he was missing home.  


When it was time for lunch, the girls headed down to the Great Hall, managing not to get lost this time, (although Tatty did get her leg stuck in a step, and it took the combined effort of all four friends to yank her out). Lily and Tatty enjoyed chatting to the portraits on the walls, Lily always getting surprised whenever they followed her through the other paintings.  
They had hardly set foot into the great Hall when they were ambushed by a couple of second year Gryffindors. Lily noticed the Gryffindor girls from the other dormitory standing behind them.  


“No, no. Follow us,” said one of them authoritatively. As Lily looked at him she noticed how strikingly familiar he looked. His eyes pierced Lily’s in the same intense way as Marlene had so often done. The girls looked at one another, unsure. Just then, a voice rang out behind them.  


“What are you doing Callum?” Marlene strode between them. Side by side, they looked so similar Lily would guess they were twins if she didn’t know their ages. Callum looked conspiringly at Marlene.  


“Marls, it’s time for the Gryffindor initiation of ‘71.” He said mysteriously before striding through the open front doors. Breathlessly, Lily followed the older boys as they led them down to the lake. It made her smile to watch Marlene goof around with her brother, and she realised she had never heard her laugh before.  


“RIGHT, you wee Gryffindors,” shouted Callum when they reached the lakeside. It was then when Lily noticed the grounds were littered with Gryffindor students, all eating various lunch items, all within earshot of Callum. They were here to watch. “Is anyone missing?”  


“Well, none of the boys are here,” said Tatty.  


“That’s deliberate,” smiled Callum’s friend. “You see, you lot are gonna pull a little prank on them.” And so, the plan was unveiled.

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Sirius

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“Come on, Sirius,” groaned James. “Whatever dear Mummy has put in that letter, surely you’ve memorised it by now. Let’s go.” James was leaning on the door frame impatiently. Remus was standing uncomfortably beside him, as if he wasn’t sure whether he was allowed to be there.  


“Shut it, Potter.” Snarled Sirius. James’ grin melted off his face, and Sirius felt a pang of guilt. It wasn’t James who had written the inky slanders, the pages of hatred. He shouldn’t take it out on him. 

“I’m, I’m just coming.” He said awkwardly.  


“Can I come too?” squeaked a voice from the corner of the room. It was the Peter boy, short, stubby and excitable. He had trailed after them the past few days, close to worshipping James and Sirius at every opportunity. Sirius suspected James secretly enjoyed the attention. Sirius on the other hand found him extremely irritating. 

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“Uh, sure.” Said James casually. “I’ll wait for you in the common room then.” He said to Sirius, not unkindly. Not sparing a glance for Sirius, Peter scurried after him. Sinking into his bed the moment they were gone, he fought to keep the spiteful words out of his head. Betrayal. Worthless. Traitor. It was a few moments before he realised he wasn’t alone. Remus Lupin was still standing by the doorway, hesitantly watching Sirius. His eyes were full of the same kindness that Sirius sought for in Andromeda’s, the same safety.  


“C’mon then,” announced Sirius, with a cheerfulness that he didn’t quite feel. “Let’s catch them up.”  


They ended up sitting with the boys from the other Gryffindor dormitory. He wasn’t used to these types of people, these young boys who were so full of life and laughter, it was as if they would never run out. There was Frank Longbottom, Alexander Wood, Edgar Bones and Blue Bird, who mumbled something about his mother being a prat about naming him such. The boys soon discovered a common interest in quidditch and took it upon themselves to discuss each of their teams.  


“So, Frank and Alex both support Puddlemere United,” reeled off James in an official tone of voice, “Peter supports Chudley Canons,” James shook his head in incomprehension at this, “Remus is impartial, but likes the Holyhead Harpies, Edgar likes the Tornadoes, what about you, Blue?”  


“The Welsh Dragons, of course!” beamed Blue, who did indeed have a thick Welsh accent. 

James turned to Sirius. “I can’t believe I haven’t asked you yet, but what’s your team?”  


“The Wimbourne Wasps of course!” replied Sirius cheerfully. James leapt up from his seat in a burst of excitement.  


“You’re not being serious!” He exclaimed, placing his hands on Sirius’ shoulders.  


“James, we’ve known each other three days now, I AM Sirius!” He said amusedly, pleased he had managed to play the Sirius joke card already. James laughed but then shook Sirius’ shoulders, not containing his excitement.  


“But Sirius, MY team is Wimbourne Wasps!”  


“No way!”  


“Yeah way! Me and my Dad have season tickets, you should come with!”  


“Season tickets?” sighed Frank Longbottom jealously. “I’ve always wanted season tickets. Still, not as if you can go while you’re at Hogwarts is it.” James looked melancholy.  


“It’s bad enough we’re not allowed brooms!” Sirius complained, staring up at the ceiling wistfully, which revealed a clear blue sky. Perfect quidditch conditions  


“I know, when my Dad started he was allowed!” added Alex,  


“But why? We get flying lessons, why shouldn’t we?” whined James. None of the other boys seemed to know either. However, an older girl leaned across the table.  


“I could tell you why.” She said simply.The boys looked at her, expectantly. Sirius recognised her as Dorcas Meadowes. “But I can’t quite be bothered,” And with that she left the table. James and Sirius shot up simultaneously. All the other boys followed in their wake, even Remus, although he looked somewhat frightened. They caught up with the older girl as she entered the Entrance Hall.  


“Hurry up, then,” she called, without checking to see who it was. Sirius shot James a confused look before bounding after her. She led them mysteriously out through the doors. The grounds were full of students lounging around, soaking up the last of the sun, and eating bits of toast. He pulled his robes tighter around him – it was much colder in Scotland. After a short while they seemed to reach the place where the girl was taking them. She stared out across the lake, rather too dramatically Sirius thought, before turning back to them.  


“Three years ago,” She began, mysteriously, “Two first years innocently decided to race each other on their brooms all around the grounds. They’d hardly flown before, the foolish little souls.” The young boys were captivated by Dorcas’ hyperbolic display. “Where we’re standing right now was the chosen ending, or what was meant to be the ending. But the students were too inexperienced, hardly knowing how to dismount. One student managed to make an emergency stop, but the other – a girl – crashed into the lake. It’s Hogwarts legend her spirit still haunts the lake to this day, not quite ghost, not quite human.” She finished dramatically.  


“What! She died?” Exclaimed Alex Wood in shock. Dorcas nodded solemnly. The boys let out a gasp. Sirius, however, wasn’t quite buying it.  


“How come we’ve never heard about this?” he accused sceptically. Dorcas raised an eyebrow cooly.  
. 

“Confidentiality, of course. How do you think it would make the school look? All students had to swear they wouldn’t speak of it. Remember that school in Germany that got closed down because of that wild monster set on the rampage?” These words made Remus flinch. Sirius stared across the lake. Was she telling the truth? “Don’t believe me? Fine, you wouldn’t be the first. But keep watching the water, you’ll see.” And with that she stalked off.  


“See what?” Called Blue Bird, but she had plonked herself down next to a group of other second years. James bounded over to the lakeside, dipping his fingers in the water as if asking it to tell him the truth.  


“What do we think lads?” he asked, turning around to splash the water at Sirius.  


“A load of honkin’ lies if you ask me,” answered Alex Wood confidently.  


“I dunno, there must be a reason we’re not allowed brooms.” Said Blue, nervously. Sirius watched as the boys argued back and forth. He noticed Remus staring transfixed at a point in the water. Sirius followed his gaze and rested on a shimmer in the water. Or was it a shimmer?  


“I think I just saw a human hand!” He was surprised at the excitement in his voice.  


“What?”  
"Where?”  
“Nah mate, you’re joking” The other boys hurried to where Sirius and Remus stood. After a few seconds, there was a splash, where unmistakably a hand could be seen. Peter screamed.  


“What’s going on?” Called Tatty Sullivan, who was sitting a little while away with the rest of the Gryffindor girls.  


“We’ve just seen the ghost!” yelled James, Sirius noticed the tone of fear in his voice. Tatty and her friends shot up and rushed over.  


“No, we saw her, look!” James yelled as something in the water began to thrash. There was a giant commotion to their left as Tatty, Marlene and Mary fell into the water. They flapped around.  


“HELP! HELP!”  


“SOMETHING JUST GRABBED MY FOOT!” screamed Mary, the smallest of them all. Sirius yelled as they were dragged under water. The boys on the shore had turned hysterical, flapping their arms around in panic. James shrugged off his robes before jumping in after them, followed by Alex. Without thinking, Sirius took the plunge too. The cold water hit him like a wall, somehow filling his lungs. He felt a hand clasp his ankle and screamed. It was only then that he heard the laughter. He span round, swallowing another gallon of water, and saw Tatty, Marlene, Mary and Lily had resurfaced, all smiling goofily as he tried desperately to see the ghost girl. He vaguely wondered where Lily had come from. Beside him James let out a groan.  


“They got us good.” He said, pointing towards the shore. All the Gryffindors that had been lounging about on the grounds were laughing, taking photos and applauding as Dorcas and her friends took bows. Beneath him he felt the grip on his ankle slack and Lily Evans broke through the surface, her head encased in a bubble. James started to wave to the crowd. 

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“And so Lily volunteered to be our ghost girl.” Dorcas was saying, an hour later, after all those who had taken a dunk had taken long hot showers. “We got Gideon to give her a bubble head charm see.” She continued to the room, who were all avidly listening to this year’s Gryffindor initiation story. James leaned over to Sirius.  


“Honestly, it was a bit of a rubbish prank when you think about it. I mean all that happened was we got a bit wet.” He objected.  


“Oh we shall just have to get them back, Potter.” He grinned.

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	5. Suffocate

**Sirius ******

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Sirius wasn’t grinning the next morning when he was awoken by an excited James at 6 in the morning, begging Sirius to get up. He mumbled to James to go away and tugged the duvet over his head.  


“Did you just speak French?” Sirius heard a muffled James say. It seemed old habits never do die.  


“No,” he called, but James tugged the duvet out his hands and gave Sirius a sceptical look.  


“Fine, I did. We spoke it a lot at home. And shut up or you’ll wake Remus and Pettigrew.” He added in a whisper as James gasped in excitement.  


“Ze mozt noble and ancient houze of Black!” he said in the worst French accent Sirius had ever heard. "Toujours Pur!"  


“What you wake me up for?” he said, ignoring James. The sun had hardly even risen, the hazy morning light still tinged with pink.  


“Ahhhh!” said James mysteriously, with a familiar glint in his eye. “Sir Godric Gryffindor would turn in his grave if he saw we hadn’t gone exploring yet! C’mon, get your shoes on.”

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Ten minutes later they were clambering out of the portrait hole, much to the annoyance of a snoozing Fat Lady.  


“Where d’you reckon we should go first?” asked Sirius drowsily, as they set off down the corridor.  


“I think we should just go where our instincts take us.” Replied James dramatically. 

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They explored the corridors for several hours, not knowing exactly what they were looking for. At one point they stumbled into the staff room, in which they spent several minutes exploring, before a bleary eyed filch came in and chased them out, though not before Sirius had grabbed a random ornament from the fireplace as a keepsake from their first break in. It was exhilarating to run through the corridors with his new friend, in his new home.

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It was past noon when they realised how hungry they were, having skipped breakfast. They quickly found Remus, who was accompanied by a rather pouty Peter.  


“Where were you?” he cried accusingly. James rolled his eyes as he tore his bread roll in half.  


“Relax, Pettigrew, you had Remus with you.” Said Sirius, trying to copy the way James had ripped open his roll so effortlessly, but only managing to deform his. They were always ready cut and buttered by the house-elves at Grimmauld Place. Peter sighed again and muttered “Remus isn’t feeling very well.” Sirius surveyed Remus. He didn’t look great – even paler than usual, picking at his food. Nonetheless he looked downright alarmed at Peter’s observation.  


“I’m fine!” He squeaked in a panicked voice. “I’m just tired, that’s all! I didn’t get much sleep last night.” That would explain the dark crescents under his eyes.  


“Feeling homesick?” nodded James, understandingly.  


“Yes!” said Remus enthusiastically. “I just really, really miss home. In fact, I think I’m going to go and write a letter to my parents right now.” He hurried away from the table. Sirius watched him all the way out the hall.  


“That was weird.” He muttered to James, but James was too busy gulping pumpkin juice straight from the jug. Sirius leant across the table and hit the bottom of the jug so it flipped up and drenched James in juice. As James spluttered with indignation, Sirius smiled. It was a trick he used to do on his brother.  


“Excuse me, please may you pass me the pumpkin juice.” It was Lily Evans. Despite her insufferable judgement she wasted no time in displaying to James and Sirius, Sirius rather liked Lily. She alone had volunteered to be ‘ghost girl’, she alone had brewed a successful potion on Friday, (well unless you counted Snape, and Sirius didn’t particularly want to). However, it was the stories he had heard of her standing up for herself against Mulciber that had earned her Sirius’ respect. The Mulcibers had often visited the Black household, and the way Sirius felt about their oldest son was nothing less than hatred.  


“Oh, I wouldn’t if I were you,” said Sirius courteously. “unless it’s pumpkin juice diluted with Potter’s saliva you’re after.” James grinned sheepishly, but Lily just wrinkled her nose and turned away.

********

After lunch they headed to the Quidditch Pitch – Sirius insisting they leave a note for Remus in the dormitory – to watch the Gryffindor quidditch trials. Peter was also tagging along with them. Sirius was still unsure how he felt about him, he seemed unable to think or do anything for himself. Anything James or Sirius would say he would immediately agree with, and Sirius wasn’t sure he could trust a follower. He much preferred the quiet but genuine Remus, and he was still sure that there was much more to Remus than met the eye. It was exhilarating to watch the team practise, and Sirius let himself imagine what it would feel like to be up in the air trialling himself. Swerving and diving, the wind blowing in his hair, the hour of carrying his team to glory. As he imagined the look on his mother’s face if she learned he had led Gryffindor’s team to victory, he laughed out loud.  


“Those lot are rubbish!” yelled James, pointing at a group of hopeful chasers, throwing shoddy passes and clumsy catches. “If only I had my broom I could show them how it’s done.” 

Sirius mimed being shocked.“Why James, don’t you remember the last first year who had their broomstick?” he teased. Dorcas turned around from the row in front and fist pumped Sirius.

********

They returned to the castle with Alex Wood and Frank Longbottom. They had learned Alex’s older brother was a 6th year, and captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, and James and Sirius had bombarded him with questions ever since they found out. James even demanded the be introduced to him, reminding Sirius it was never too early to be making contacts.  


“I think I’d want to be keeper, just like him, and my oldest brother.” Said Alex thoughtfully as they found seats in the Great Hall.  


“I’m more of a chaser myself,” said James. “I practise every Saturday with my Dad in our paddock, he would make sure he got time off work to train with me.” It was something about the matter-of-fact way he said it that made Sirius’ skin tingle with jealously. His Dad would go out of his way to spend time with James? He became vaguely aware of all the boys looking at him.  


“Sorry?” blushed Sirius.  


“What position do you play?” repeated James.  


“Oh,” said Sirius, trying to sound nonchalant. “I don’t really mind. I didn’t get to play much in London, it was only when I visited my uncle we played, and we didn’t have enough players so we would switch around a lot. I think I play beater best though.” He added.

********

It was only when they had exhausted the topic of quidditch when Sirius rather ashamedly realised Remus hadn’t arrived in the Great Hall. He wasn’t in the common room either, or the dormitory. Neither James nor Peter seemed particularly worried about him.  


“Maybe he’s in the Hospital Wing?” Yawned James as he jumped into bed. “He didn’t look good earlier.” Sirius nodded. Yes, that was probably it. 

********

But Remus Lupin was nowhere to be found the next day, or the one after that. Sirius didn’t even know where the hospital wing was, and he wasn’t even sure if Remus would want him to be there. He decided to push the thought from his head and focus on having as much fun as possible. And on his lessons, of course. Despite his shaky start in transfiguration, he could now successfully make enough needles for a small army of house-elves. He was having similar luck with the levitation spell in charms, and he and James could be found at regular intervals annoying their fellow first years by sending their possessions flying around the room. On one particularly memorable occasion James had sent Gilderoy Lockhart – a Ravenclaw - into a melt-down when he had lost control of his ink pot, causing it to smash over Gilderoy’s carefully styled curls. He had earned himself his first detention for that one. He was joined by Sirius, who had rather recklessly levitated a rug from beneath a fifth year Slytherin, causing him to topple over. He had been horrified when he had discovered it was none other than Lucius Malfoy, prefect and highly respected in the Black household. However, he didn’t regret it too much when he climbed through the portrait hole to general applause. He was also excelling in astronomy, seeing as most of the stars in the sky shared names with members of his family, and in Defense Against the Dark Arts, although the teacher was so old he probably would fail to notice. 

********

In fact, by the time Sirius walked into the Great Hall on Wednesday morning, he was feeling pretty confident. His mood escalated even further when he laid eyes on the curly headed Remus Lupin, who was concentrating carefully on pouring his tea.  


“REMUS!” barked Sirius, bounding across the hall like an eager puppy. Remus looked up, sheepishly. He still looked peaky.  


“Where were you?” demanded Sirius, as James and Peter caught up with him.  


“I was ill,” he said simply. “Madam Pomfrey only just let me go.” His nose had gone very red, which Sirius had noticed it did whenever Remus was embarrassed. “Did I miss anything?” He asked. James erupted into stories of their adventures from the past few days. Sirius sat in a silence that was unusual for him, quite content to just listen James’ energetic descriptions and Remus’ shy giggles. Quite content even with Peter’s exaggerations, and the voices of the budding witches and wizards around him. Quite content.  


Until the owl landed.  


He recognises it immediately as his mother’s owl, and panic rose within him. He tried to calm himself – it wasn’t necessarily bad, maybe his mother was writing him to congratulate him on his schoolwork, or even to ask how he was. But even as he unrolled the parchment he knew by the angry scrawl it wasn’t anything good.  
The words seemed to stab his eyes as if the ink was poison.  


_‘How could you do that to young Master Malfoy…’ ‘as if you hadn’t embarrassed us enough already…’ ‘you are a traitor to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black…’ ‘I’m ashamed to admit you’re my son…’ ‘You just wait till I get my hands on you…’. _  
__

__Sirius was shuddering violently. When he woke up this morning the distance between him and his Mother had seemed insurmountable, invincible. But now he felt as if his Mother was hissing the words right into his ear, her breath on his neck. He scrunched the letter in a trembling fist and tried to get a hold on himself. Without realising he was doing so, his feet carried him all the way out of the hall. All he could think about was hiding, hiding from his Mother. He somehow found his way into an empty broom cupboard, and curled up in the corner, his panic overriding everything else._ _

____

********

____

It was a long time before the door creaked open again. Sirius lifted his head, trying to make out who the intruder was through the dust and the dark.  


____

“Lumos,” a familiar voice whispered, and the concerned face of James Potter was lit up by a steady wand tip. “Hey.” he whispered, sliding down the door so he was sat opposite Sirius, far enough away so as not to overwhelm Sirius.  


____

“Hey.” Sirius’ voice cracked with the effort. James didn’t say anything else, just stared at the space between them. Something about the presence of his friend was a comfort, as if James was a physical barrier between him and Grimmauld Place. Which he was. To Sirius, James signified everything new and hopeful about his life at Hogwarts, all things happy and safe. Suddenly, he couldn’t feel his Mother’s breath on his neck anymore. He slid his foot across the gap and nudged James’ foot, gently. James returned this with a slightly more playful kick of his own, which Sirius dodged and trapped James’ shoe with his spare foot. Hesitating slightly, James scooted over to sit next to Sirius, and pulled him into a ferocious hug. Shocked, Sirius stiffened, before relaxing into him. It felt weird to touch someone that wasn’t Drommie or Regulus. He knew James wasn’t going to interrogate him, nor judge him, instead he’d just be there for Sirius to lean on. They stayed like that for a long time. 

____

********

____

It was nearing the end of the lesson by the time they reached their History of Magic Classroom. Anxious that people would know he had been crying, Sirius had tried to persuade James to go without him, but James had insisted it would be good practise to learn how to sneak into a classroom, and Binns was an easy target. He was right. They slipped through the door and tiptoed, bent double, towards their seats at the back. Sirius wished the other students hadn’t been following their progress as intently as you’d watch a seeker dive for the snitch – they were giving them away. But miraculously, Binns continued to drawl on about Gornrock the Great.  


____

“You know, I reckon a whole new Goblin war could happen in this very classroom and he’d carry on teaching!” said James in loud whisper to Sirius. A few people around them laughed.  


____

“Will you please be quiet, Potter,” snapped Gilderoy Lockhart from the front of the class. James imitated him once he turned around, again earning himself a few laughs. Sirius scrunched some scrap parchment and threw it at Lockhart’s bouncing curls. He whipped around.  


____

“Who threw that!” he demanded pompously. Catching sight of James high fiving Sirius, he aimed for Sirius’ face. Unfortunately, it looked as if he wasn’t strong in the Quidditch department, and the paper ball missed Sirius and hit Lily Evans. She cooly swatted it away. And so the chaos began. The class was in quiet anarchy, paper balls flying everywhere, and still Professor Binns hadn’t noticed a thing. It was comical, to watch him drone on amidst the flurry of flying parchment.  


____

“PICK YOUR SIDES!” commanded James, and the class divided, tipping the desks to form temporary trenches. The class was now making no effort to hide, and Binns had finally realised something was amiss. It was like some form of snowball fight. Remus Lupin was intricately folding his parchment, making several small folds until he produced some sort of structure. He took careful aim at Lockhart, before throwing his creation. It soared gracefully across the room and struck him straight in the eye. Sirius whooped and ruffled Remus’ hair, who was grinning proudly.  


____

“What was that?” asked Sirius as he dodged what seemed to be a heavy textbook.  


____

“A paper aeroplane!” said Remus happily, which Sirius vaguely recalled were the muggle way of flying. “My mum taught me!” Sirius remembered for the first time about Remus’ muggle mum. Remus began to show him what he had done. But before he had finished he was hit by a similar structure. Lily Evans and Mary McDonald were churning out their own paper aeroplanes.  


____

“Please, students!” called Binns feebly. But it was no use. The class was beyond control.

____

********

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> If you were wondering, Alex Wood (origional character) is Oliver Wood's uncle :)


	6. Learn to Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Lily!  
> (see end more more notes :) )

**Lily ******

********

“It’s no _good _, that’s not how my hands _work _” whined Ananja.  
She has demanded Lily teach her how to make a paper aeroplane but had given up after two minutes. This was common behaviour from Ananja – she could never stick to something very long. She got up and wondered over the mirror to begin her nighttime ritual of admiring herself. The two girls were alone in their dormitory. Mary and Tatty finishing off their homework and Marlene hanging out with her brother as usual. Ananja huffed dramatically. Lily wondered what Ananja had seen in the mirror to complain about this time. She huffed again, clearly trying to get Lily’s attention.  
____

___“What’s wrong?” she asked with the patience she had inherited from her father.  
_ _ _

___“It’s _JUST _, my auntie got me the most _BEAUTIFUL _earings for my birthday,” It had been Ananja’s birthday the previous day. “But she didn’t realise I didn’t have my ears pierced. And I do so want to wear them.” Lily contemplated this for a second.  
_____ _ _

___“I’ll pierce them for you.” Ananja looked alarmed, as Lily had expected her to. “Relax, I did my sister’s a few months ago.” She smiled as she remembered the momentary rebel Tunie had turned into, and the horrified look on their Mother’s face. Ananja looked both horrified and impressed.  
_ _ _

___“How did you manage that?” She demanded. “You wouldn’t have had your wand by then!” Witches and wizards must use magic. She felt suddenly shy. Ananja often forgot about Lily’s muggle upbringing. She mumbled something about never mind, but Ananja took a sudden intake of breath.  
_ _ _

___“Fine!” She announced shrilly. “You can do it. I trust you.” Taken aback, Lily listed the things she needed._ _ _

********

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

********

________“Wow Ananja, they’re beautiful!” Cooed Lila Halfpenny, one of the girls from The Other Dormitory (as Tatty insisted on calling it). The excited huddle was getting ready for their very first flying lesson, on Thursday Morning.  
Slightly tired of Ananja’s monologued and hyperbolic retelling of the events, Lily wondered over to a couple of Hufflepuff girls, who she knew as Alice Fortescue and Evie Abbot. Alice seemed to be comforting Evie.  
________

___“It’s alright, Evie, I bet over half the people here don’t know how to fly either,” she soothed. Her voice was jolly, as if it were made from bubbles, and she had a welsh accent. Lily vaguely remembered Tatty telling her Blue Bird and Alice were cousins.  
_ _ _

___“But I bet not all of them have a famous quidditch player as a father and are afraid of heights! Not to mention my sister is even on the team!” wailed Evie in a panic. Alice contemplated this for a second.  
_ _ _

___“You’re making this whole comforting thing a right pain, you know Evie,” she said in defeat. Evie laughed. She seemed to become aware that Lily was there, and smiled at her, unabashed.  
_ _ _

___“Hey, it’s Lily, right?” asked Alice, beaming. “I was just persuading Evie here not to panic.” Evie whimpered.  
_ _ _

___“Easier said than done, I’m afraid,” said Lily, very nervous herself. The concept of flying was mind blowing, and that was just in an aeroplane. The fact she was about to fly on an actual broomstick was incomprehensible. “The closest I’ve ever been to a broomstick is through the shop window in Diagonalley!”  
_ _ _

___“Really?” whispered Evie, with wide eyes. Alice nudged her in a told-you-so type way and mouthed thank you at Lily.  
_ _ _

___“Well, children gather round!” barked Master Hangleberry, the flying instructor. Both Evie and Lily whimpered. Alice reached out for both their hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “As you all know, you are here for your flying lesson. This is Miss Hooch,” he gestured to a lady standing beside him, “I have taken her on as my apprentice, and she will act as my assistant. Any questions?” He glared at them all. He looked a bit like an overgrown vulture: balding, ageing, and saggy skin. Lily looked as if he was too old to ride a broom. “You!” he pointed at Lily. “Are you a Weasley?”  
_ _ _

___“Um… No?” said Lily, not entirely sure what he meant.  
_ _ _

___“Oh. I thought the hair… Shame.” He clapped his hands together suddenly. “Quidditch.” He sneered. (or was it a smile?) James Potter and Sirius Black cheered, and Hangleberry nodded with approval. (It was a smile then.) “Now, all those who have flown before, raise your hand.” Lily watched with increasing dismay as her classmates raised their hands. It must be over half of them.  
_ _ _

___“Don’t worry, Lils,” whispered Alice, her own hand raised high in the air, wiggling her fingers at the top. “It doesn’t mean they can actually fly.” This was confirmed when Hangleberry asked who was confident. Only a handful of students kept their hands up, Black and Potter smugger than ever.  
The students were allocated one broom each, to stand behind. Lily ended up opposite James Potter, who was whispering conspiringly to Sirius Black.  
_ _ _

___“Now, stick out your right hand,” demanded Hangleberry, “Over your broom, boy!” he shouted angrily at Peter Pettigrew, who’s arm was hanging limply in front of him. Black and Potter sniggered, which annoyed Lily further. “Now say ‘Up’.”  
_ _ _

___“Up!” everyone shouted. When Lily’s broom remained stubbornly on the ground, she looked around anxiously, relieved to find the grass was still littered by brooms. Both Potter and Black were proudly grasping their brooms. Marlene had also managed it first try. Evie’s was rolling around on the floor and Frank Longbottom’s had hit him in the face. After a few more tries, Lily managed to coax the broom into her hands, immediately almost dropping it because her hands were so sweaty.  
_ _ _

___“Flying isn’t just a matter of steering your broom left and right. You must control your brooms, they respond to even the tiniest bit of conscious thought. Some wizards argue they are in fact conscious themselves…” Hangleberry stared off distractedly into the distance, and Miss Hooch had to clear her throat to bring him back.  
He started # demonstrating how to mount the broom, whilst Miss Hooch corrected their grips.  
_ _ _

___“Now when I say so, you are to kick off from the ground.” Ordered Hangleberry. “Keep your hands steady and rise a few feet before coming straight back down. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” He screeched, his resemblance to a vulture ever stronger. “Now!” Lily kicked off with the others and immediately veered sideways, her sweaty hands slipping off the handle and landed clumsily on the floor. Alice offered her a hand, which she took gratefully whilst her cheeks scalded.  
_ _ _

___“Let’s try that again,” said Hangleberry, sounding almost bored.  
_ _ _

___This time, Lily activated her core like she did whenever rode her auntie’s horse and managed to stay on the broom for a few seconds. Miss Hooch blew the whistle for them to come down, which Lily gladly did, along with most of the class. Black and Potter, however, seemed to have other ideas. She watched, horrified, as the two boys raised higher and higher, each seeming to get the out-do the other. Hangleberry and Hooch were both yelling at the pair to come down, but they didn’t seem to care. Miss Hooch grabbed Lily’s broom and kicked off after them whilst the rest of the students watched with a mixed feeling of anxiety and worry. In a moment of hysteria Lily thought of the ghost girl story and squinted harder at the group in the sky. They seemed to be in control, no bodies were falling. In fact, they were gradually getting bigger and bigger, sheepish grins coming into focus, as they came closer._ _ _

********

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

********

________Half an hour later the group were making their way back to the castle, where they had watched Sirius and James get marched away by a seething Professor McGonnagoll once Hangleberry was through with them all. Overall Lily had had an enjoyable first flying lesson. Oddly, the Potter and Black incident had bothered her more than the heights. What was worse is no one could stop discussing it.  
________

___“You have to admit, that was some groovy flying!” said Tatty, clearly impressed.  
_ _ _

___“I think it was rather arrogant, if you ask me,” replied Lily in annoyance. She heard Marlene chuckle appreciatively, but when she turned her head to look, Marlene just stared haughtily ahead.  
_ _ _

___“Well, well, well.” A cold, sneering voice rang out behind Lily. She had been expecting this ever since she had first met Mulciber. She sensed rather than felt Tatty and Marlene stiffen beside her as she turned on her heel.  
_ _ _

___“What.” She said, with all the contempt she could muster. He had dark eyes, full of a hunger that didn’t long for food. Lily did not like this boy. She focused instead on his comically small head. He was accompanied by two other Slytherin friends, Yaxley and Carrow. Minions, more like.  
_ _ _

___“I was just wondering why they hadn’t sent you home yet, that’s all.” He fingered his wand delicately as he spoke, but Lily wasn’t threatened. They hadn’t learned anything remotely dangerous in classes yet.  
_ _ _

___“And what’s that supposed to mean?” she said haughtily. He smirked, seeming to think his question had annoyed her.  
_ _ _

___“Isn’t it obvious, Evans? I know muggles are thick but you’ve stepped over the line.” Lily realised what he was talking about. Her muggle parentage. “Let me spell it out to you. This school, the one we’re in right now, it wasn’t made for mudbloods like you.”  
_ _ _

___Several things happened at once. The circle of onlookers gasped, and Tatty let out a yell of shock. But it was Marlene that surprised Lily the most. She shouted in outrage and charged towards Mulciber, her fist colliding with his open mouth. She began to punch every inch of his body she could reach.  
_ _ _

___“Marlene, no!” cried Lily, no clue what to do. She was pushed out the way as Callum Mckinnon appeared out of nowhere to restrain his sister. The commotion hadn’t gone unnoticed, and very soon McGonagall’s clear voice rang out across the rowdy crowd. She was accompanied by ashamed looking James and Sirius.  
_ _ _

___“What is going on?” she shouted, causing the commotion to cease almost instantly. The only person still moving was Marlene, who was still struggling against Callum. Mulciber was whimpering on the floor.  
_ _ _

___“Miss Mckinnon, follow me.” Snapped McGonagall. “Mr Mulciber, do you need the hospital wing, or are you able to come and explain yourself?” Mulciber groaned, which Mcgonagall responded to by ordering Yaxley to take him to Madam Pomfrey. She led Marlene away, leaving the crowd to dissipate. Callum turned towards Lily.  
_ _ _

___“What did he do?” he asked, sounding worn out. Lily was surprised he didn’t sound angrier at Marlene. They began to walk towards the common room.  
_ _ _

___“Well he,” began Lily, but then stopped. It had all happened so quickly, Lily had no idea what had spurred Marlene to attack him like that. “Well, I’m not sure, exactly.”  
_ _ _

___“You don’t know?” said Tatty, disbelieving.  
_ _ _

___“Know what?” said Lily. Tatty stared at her for a second, then looked at Callum.  
_ _ _

___“He called her a – a mudblood.” Callum looked livid.  
_ _ _

___“Am I missing something?” Lily was beginning to feel quite stupid. Nothing Severus had said had prepared her for this. “What does mudblood mean?” Callum hesitated.  
_ _ _

___“It’s an awful, awful word. It’s a slur, used for muggleborns.” He said uncomfortably, wringing his hands together. “It means dirty blood.” He added. “You see, some pure-blooded folk think themselves better than everybody else. Muggleborns have been victims of discrimination for centuries.” Lily recalled back to the summer with Sev, to the way he hesitated before he answered her question of a muggleborn’s life in the wizarding world. He had lied then.  
_ _ _

___“But why did Marlene attack Mulciber?” She pressed.  
_ _ _

___“Our mum was muggleborn.” He sighed weakly. Tatty and Lily exchanged startled looks.  
_ _ _

___“Was?” said Tatty, peering up at Callum, who had his face in his hands. He stopped walking and looked at the two girls.  
_ _ _

___“She hasn’t told you?” When they shook their heads he took a deep breath. “A few months ago, our mum was killed by a bunch of blood purists.” He said quickly. Tatty clasped a hand to her mouth. Lily could taste her heartbeat. “They didn’t get caught, but we think they were some leftover Grindelwald supporters. Marlene hasn’t really been coping very well.” He paused. It seemed his next words cost him great effort. “She was there when it happened.” Tears burned Lily’s eyes, but she didn’t brush them away. She didn’t want it to be true. All this time she had just thought Marlene moody, cold even.  
_ _ _

___“I’m sorry,” she reached for Callum’s hand, and squeezed it. He stared at her hand for a second before starting to walk again. They had almost reached the Fat Lady before he spoke again.  
_ _ _

___“She likes you, Lily.” He laughed at Lily’s raised eyebrows. “She does. She just has funny ways of showing it.”  
_ _ _

___“Beating the daylights out of someone definitely is a funny way of showing it, if you asked me.” Said Tatty. All three of them laughed._ _ _

********

____________Lily and Tatty sat in the dormitory in silence. It might have been minutes or hours before Marlene finally came through the door. She didn’t have so much as a scratch on her. She met Lily’s eyes, and Lily could tell she had been crying._  
___

__“You know.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Maybe Marlene could read minds after all. “Callum told me just now.” That would make more sense.  
_ _

__“Marlene, we –” Tatty began, but Marlene put up a hand to silence her.  
_ _

__“I just want to say, I don’t want you to treat me any different. I’m not some sick child.” Lily and Tatty nodded. No-one seemed to know what to say.  
_ _

__“Nice punch,” offered Lily hopefully. To her surprise Marlene grinned.  
_ _

__“Not bad, was I?” she said, quite proudly. “Earned me a night of detention though.” She added, scowling. Marlene Mckinnon could scowl like no other. There was a commotion as Ananja glided into the room, giggling with Mary, unaware of what had just happened.  
_ _

__As Lily lay in bed that night, she smiled to herself. If she wasn’t so mistaken, she had finally made a friend out of the mysterious Marlene Mckinnon._ _

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, finally. Marlene content!  
> Thank you so much for reading! Any feedback is welcome!  
> 


	7. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title after Changes - David Bowie
> 
> trigger warning - implied child abuse in this chapter

**Sirius ******

The days stretched into weeks, greens faded into orange, strangers grew into friends. Sometimes, Sirius would catch himself talking like James, saying things like “berk” and “goon”, but made no effort to stop. In fact, he made a purposeful effort to drop his aristocratic way of speaking.

********

The four boys were relaxing in the common room together the first Saturday of October. James was writing a letter to his parents, a task that you would think called for silence. Not for James Potter – the boy who never shut up, as Sirius would call him. While James sang badly and thought out loud, Remus continued with his attempts to teach Peter how to play chess. Sirius would have given up weeks ago, but Remus possessed a patience Sirius had never seen before. He observed as Remus reminded Peter for the fifth time the way a knight moves, without even a trace of annoyance on his face, looking completely serene. Sirius wished his teachers were just as patient – James and Sirius had yet to manage a detention free week. James threw down his quill and stretched.  


“Right, who wants to come with me to the owlery then?” he asked casually. Peter immediately jumped up, leaving Remus looking slightly disappointed.  


“We’ll all go.” Declared Sirius, watching Remus knock over Peter’s King with a small sigh.. He hated the way Peter discarded Remus in favour of James.  


“Oh, would it be possible for you to wait for me whilst I go and get my letter from upstairs?” said Remus timidly, before scurrying up the staircase. Sirius shook his head endearingly. He had the impression Remus was expecting them to turn against him at any moment. It made him quite sad, if he was honest, and he promised himself he’d double his efforts to make sure Remus felt the friendship he deserved. 

********

This being at the front of his mind was perhaps the reason they ended up doing it. One minute they were strolling through the corridors, the next Sirius had hopped onto the banister in a moment of impulsiveness. The stairs – being Hogwartarian – seemed to come to life. The stone seemed to turn polished so Sirius glided down with little resistance, followed of course by James, and even Remus and Peter. At the bottom of each staircase they would hop off and charge towards the next, laughing with exhilaration. On several occasions Sirius felt himself lurch sideways, threatening to fall, but the quidditch player within him held fast. The staircase they had all been waiting for came into view and they all stopped, doubled over and panting. The longest and steepest in the castle, leading straight into the mouth of the Great Hall.  


“FOR GRYFFINDOR!” roared James, before diving headfirst onto the banister, sliding on his stomach. Sirius chose a side-saddle approach, followed swiftly by Remus. As if in slow motion he watched James hit the pillar at the bottom, face colliding with stone. Sirius almost fell off from laughing, but reached the bottom and deftly slid off without collision. Peter, on the other hand was less lucky. Sirius turned just in time to see him receive what must have been the biggest wedgie of his life. As Peter and James moaned with pain, Sirius and Remus rolled about laughing on the floor. They both couldn’t function – it was as if someone had cast a too strong cheering charm on them. Remus’ eyes were alive with something Sirius hadn’t seen there before, his cheeks flushed, and face stretched in the widest smile.  


It was discovered that James’ nose was broken – along with his glasses. Somehow they all managed to make it to the hospital wing despite collapsing into giggles every couple of steps. Remus led the way into the Wing, skipping on every other step. Madame Pompfrey looked alarmed.  


“Remus, dear what’s wrong?” Then she caught sight of the other three, taking in the blood pouring down James’ face, and the tears trickling down Sirius’. 

********

With his newly fixed nose James led the way up the owlery steps, walking straight into Marlene Mckkinnon.  


“Do one, Potter,” she snapped. Sirius grinned at her, he hawhich she scowled at and stalked off. James called over his owl while Remus started searching for a suitable owl for his letter. Peter plonked himself in the corner, clutching a stitch.  


“Why don’t you ever write home?” he panted, looking curiously at Sirius, who shrugged.  


“Don’t you have a younger brother?” Said James, straightening up and releasing his owl.  


“Yeah?” said Sirius, quite surprised James had remembered that.  


“I would do anything do have a brother.” James mused wistfully. “Wouldn’t he want to hear from you?”  
  


Guilt clutched at Sirius like a venomous tentacular vine. He had promised Regulus he would write and the thought of him imprisoned alone in Grimmauld Place without Sirius to protect him bile rise in Sirius’ throat.  
But what worried Sirius the most wasn’t Reggie’s safety - it was the isolation. The whispers cling to you in that house, they carve themselves into your skin if you let down your guard, they turn into shouts. And without Sirius there he knew Reggie’s walls would be crumbling. What would he do if Regulus – segregated from everything light and surrounded by everything black - internalised his parents’ ideologies? 

********

The vine tightened.

********

The truth was Sirius was scared his little brother resented him for betraying their family. That he wouldn’t think of him as his fearlessly loyal brother who protected him, but rather as the traitor his family would have inevitably painted him as. But he knew James was right. The longer he left his brother alone the deeper that painting would sink into Regulus.  
Venomous tentacula may be deadly, yet it was so easy to banish. All you needed was a little light.  
Spurred into action, Sirius rummaged inside his robes for some parchment, he used the spare quill and ink left in the owlery. James offered his back without hesitation for Sirius to lean on on. 

********

Hi Reggie, wrote Sirius, but then stopped, not a clue on what to say. 

********

“Make sure you write about your new best friend, James!” called James jokingly. 

Something swept over Sirius. “Um, sure, yeah,” he spluttered. The words ‘best friend’ echoed around his suddenly empty head. 

********

Before he had come to Hogwarts, he had never had a friend before. The company he was presented with since birth was purely for business purposes, and Sirius did his best to disintegrate any relationship his parent’s attempted to make, until they learned to shut him away whenever they had guests. Not that that had stopped him. 

********

Now, the true significance of James offering his back to lean on washed over him. He had a friend who supported him. Things had changed.

********

Clearing his throat, he began to write. Just stupid things like the giant squid, the Forbidden forest, how much Reggie would like it here. A hurried account of the time he and James had slipped a snake fang into Mulciber’s potion and it erupted just to keep James happy, smiling at the memory of Slughorn’s flummoxed expression. They didn’t even get caught for that one. He hoped Reggie would have the sense to keep this letter to himself. He called over Archimedes.  


“C’mon, show the others what I taught you! Dance!” He said to the owl, who looked at him as if to say ‘I can’t believe you’re embarrassing me like this’, before lazily bopping his head and tapping his foot. The other three boys shouted approval, and waved Archimedes off as he flew through the window.  


“You know, we could probably train him to do something proper cool,” said James enthusiastically as the left the owlery.

********

Sirius could remember meeting Regulus for the first time. It was easily his earliest memory. As a child of Walburga Black, he never knew love as a child, never learnt the tenderness of human touch. Until he met Reggie. Sirius had somehow escaped his nanny, and curiosity led him into the nursery. There lay the smallest baby he’d ever seen – already dressed in clothing far too fine for one so young. Young grey eyes stared into even younger blue ones. Regulus reached out his tiny, wrinkly hand and grasped Sirius’ finger. No one had ever touched Sirius like that before.  
Since then, they had held hands many times. Walking behind their father at ministry events, hiding from their mother beneath the table in the kitchen, shut up by both in the cupboard upstairs. But more often than that Sirius was on his own, managing to keep his baby brother out of trouble.  
In some ways, Sirius still saw Regulus as the small baby in the nursery. Still his to protect.

********

He became aware of icy air blowing on his face. And realised James was leading them outside.  
Except it wasn’t James – it was Remus? He was leading them in a bubble of excitement down to the lake where the sun going down. Sirius noticed some boats were out on the water. The sky was painted with vibrant pinks and reds, as if some giant in the sky had spilt his inks. The last few rays of the sun were stretching across the grounds, licking Remus’ face as he drank in the scene. It made Sirius happy to see him so happy. In no time James was charging through leaf piles, autumn wind tousling his already unkempt hair, leaves swirling around him in the breeze. Sirius tore after him, screaming into the wind and throwing leaves in his face. They played until they couldn’t any longer, collapsing into a pile. Remus still seemed mesmerised by the sky, which was gradually turning an inky purple. James began to make Peter laugh by making a leaf angel.  


“OIII! “Boomed a deep voice from behind them, and they all leapt up. It was Hagrid, accompanied by his enormous boarhound, Betsie. She didn’t look like a Betsie, more like a ‘terror’ or a ‘crusher’. “I just swept them leaves!” Sirius looked around him. The neat piles of leaves were strewn all across the grass.  


“Must have been the wind!” said James boldly. 

Hagrid chuckled. “You’re trouble you are. Been keeping the professors busy I bet?” Sirius and James shared an identical grin.  


“I guess you could say they’ve had an interesting couple of weeks.” said Sirus, patting Betsie as she tried to jump up and lick him. Dogs had always been weirdly drawn towards Sirius. Beside him Remus was shaking, from cold or fear Sirius didn’t know.  


“It’s a couple hours till dinner, why don’t you come and have some tea?” said Hagrid gruffly. The boys agreed and followed Hagrid to a perimeter of the forest where he pointed out his hut. Sirius stared intently into the trees and wondered what was in there that made it so forbidden.  
It was only once inside did Sirius realise how cold he had been. He hurried over to the fire, copying the way James rubbed his hands together and held them out. Once the tea was ready he straightened up and jumped up on one of the enormous chairs by the the table, where an injured bowtruckle was resting. He noticed Remus was standing by the window, the almost full moonlight falling onto his pale, worried face. He stayed quiet the whole time, which wasn’t unusual, while James and Sirius told tales of their adventures of their first month at Hogwarts, Betsie rested her head on Sirius’ lap and Peter boasted of his wedgie – which was an odd thing to boast of.  


“Thanks for comin’,” gushed Hagrid as he led them through the dark grounds. “Come again, any time! I don’t get many visitors!”  


“Well he was-” began James once they were out of earshot of Hagrid’s cabin.  


“Unexpected.” Finished Sirius, grinning. He always loved it when people surprised him. Usually, it had only been in books when characters took an unexpected turn that Sirius got to experience this – most of the people he had grown up around practically being clones churned out by their bigoted, in-bred families – but since being at Hogwarts he was being pleasantly surprised by everything, from Lily Evans being top of the class in a lot of her subject, to watching the gruff Hagrid coo over a wounded bowtruckle.  
It wasn’t like he believed his parent’s criminalisation of anybody who wasn’t pure-blooded, but perhaps he had internalised their beliefs.  
James elbowed him which brought him back to the present. Sirius squinted through the dark to see what he was pointing at. Severus Snape and Lily Evans were walking around the perimeter of the lake together.  
Sirius stopped walking so he could get a better look, and Remus walked right into him.  
“

I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Mumbled Remus frantically. Sirius looked at him in confusion. If he was to describe Remus, he’d compare him to a snail. He spent most of his time withdrawn, hidden in his shell, but sometimes he’d poke his head out for a while, only to retreat suddenly for seemingly no reason. Remus returned his gaze to the moon so Sirius could see the silvery orb reflected in his pupils. He was determined to figure Remus out – he knew there was a lot more to find beneath inside that shell of his.

********

It was only when Sirius was lying in bed that night did he think of Regulus again. He dreamt of his tiny baby hand reaching out into the dark for most of the night.

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for getting this far :)  
> I get so excited with every single hit, kudos or comment! Uploading every Monday :)


	8. The Lakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A relatively short one for today <3

Lily

As a whole Lily was performing rather well in her classes. In particular – potions. She gave Severus most of the credit for her success, he often guided her back on track if she got carried away with something, but she couldn’t help feel pleased with herself, particularly as Mulciber was proving himself a total dunce in the time they spent in the dungeon.  


Slughorn became increasingly fond of her each lesson, keen to talk to her at any chance. She wished he wouldn’t. Potions were one of the few times she got to speak to Severus, and despite Sev’s obvious talent, Slughorn still seemed to ignore him in favour of the other students. She was also excelling in charms – Mr Ollivander had said her wand would suit that particular magic form after all – herbology and astrology. The only things she struggled with was history of magic (but it seemed only Remus Lupin had the ability to focus on Professor Binn’s monotonous drawl) and transfiguration. The latter bothered Lily very much, especially as she sat beside Marlene, who could complete the tasks set by McGonagall with a lazy flick of her wrist as easily as Lily could play hopscotch. It wasn’t that Lily couldn’t change anything about the objects – she was quite able to change the shapes of things. It was the fact she hadn’t yet managed to change the material, even with help from McGonagall herself after class. She wrote about her plagued troubles in her letters home, the only touch of negativity from her her parents ever read.  


She was curled up in her favourite armchair– the very same one she sat in on her first morning – while she finished her letter. The common room was unusually quiet, most of the Gryffindors soaking up the autumnal air outside. Lily doubted the lull would last long though, as Potter and Black had just sat down to write letters home. Contrary to what seemed like everyone else, Lily couldn’t bear the two boys. With distaste she watched them as they draped themselves across the sofa as if they owned it, while Remus sat timidly on the floor, rocking back and forth as he tried to teach Peter how to play. He looked quite ill. Lily couldn’t understand why Remus put up with the. He was so different to the others. She got the feeling he was scared of them, scared of the world. But Lily liked him.  
Mary and Ananja were finishing their homework, while Marlene was sprawled across the floor, apparently doing nothing. Tatty was chatting at 100 miles per hour to one of her brothers, Lily forgot which one. Tatty seemed to think awfully highly of her older siblings, who were all just as chaotic as her. Much to Tatty’s disappointment, her sister had left just last year, but that still left her three brothers, who all seemed rather fond of her. Although she hated to admit it, she was quite jealous of her friends with siblings at their school. Marlene had Callum, Ananja had an older sister in Ravenclaw, and Tatty of course had all her brothers. Meanwhile Petunia still hadn’t written to Lily, despite several letters Lily had written addressed directly to her. 

Across from her, Marlene sighed. “I’m bored.” She huffed. Lily laughed softly. Ever since Marlene’s scuffle with Mulciber she had transformed into a completely new person, and yet she was still the same haughty, stubborn girl, moving at 10mph faster than the rest of the girls. It was as if Lily had attempted one of her dodgy transfiguration spells on her. Same substance, different girl.  


“Same,” whined Ananja, and Mary nodded in agreement. Marlene fidgeted in her seat.  


“Have any of you ever seen the Giant Squid?” she asked. All the others shook their heads. Like a jack-in-the-box Marlene sprung up, pulling Lily out her chair. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

********

They stopped by the Great Hall on the way to grab some of the last remainders of toast, although Lily couldn’t see why – they had only just eaten.  


“Not for us, dumbie, for the squid,” said Marlene. Peeves the Poltergeist tried following them, but realised they were headed outside and retreated. They reached the edge of the lake, but Marlene continued along the shore towards the boathouse. Lily hoped Marlene wasn’t doing what Lily thought she was doing; yet a tiny part of her hoped she was.  


“C’mon, get in a boat.” She really was doing it. Lily clambered after Marlene into a boat, one of the ones they had used to get across the lake. She remembered giddily that night, how she had reached for the oars and been elated when the boat started moving by itself.  


“What if we get caught?” whispered Mary.  


“Hagrid said I could borrow them anytime.” Marlene rolled her eyes. “But I’d take them even if he hadn’t. Coming or not?” They climbed into their own boats, curiosity settling in.  
The girls laughed and splashed each other as the boats took them into the middle of the lake.  


“That’s far enough,” Marlene told the boats, which stopped at her command. They began to throw the food into the water. For a while nothing happened. Lily diverted her attention to the sun that was just beginning to go down. It really was beautiful at Hogwarts.  
Her whole life she had grown up in a heavily industrialised town, surrounded by big ugly grey buildings and noisy machinery. She was always amazed how quiet Hogwarts could be. The silence was music in itself. Unexpectedly, a huge crash of water broke the calm.  


“THERE! THERE!”  


“DID YOU SEE IT?”  


“ITS HUGE!” Lily span round, rocking the boat, cursing herself for not paying attention.  


“Don’t worry, she’ll be back,” said Marlene serenely. Sure enough, within minutes an enormous black shape loomed beneath them, crashing through the water surface for a few seconds to grab the toast. They stayed there a long time, watching the squid dance in the light of the dying sun. The golden rays reflected off the lake, illuminating the shore, where some boys were messing around in the leaves.  


When Mary began to shiver, and Lily’s lips turned blue they decided it probably time to return to the castle. Besides, in the twilight the murky depths of the lake were quite spooky, especially since Marlene had started pondering out loud the likelihood of merpeople living at the bottom. Tatty explained to Lily that merpeople weren’t like the mermaids referred to in muggle stories, but instead vicious creatures.  


As they were walking up to the castle Lily caught sight of Dorcas and Callum sitting with their friends. Dorcas saw Lily waving and hurried over to them. Although the sun had long set, there was something about Dorcas’ smile that seemed to light her whole face up. She ruffled Marlene’s hair like usual and hugged Lily. Marlene stared at the ground and scuffed her feet while the others recounted their adventure to Dorcas. Lily couldn’t understand why Marlene always acted so moody around Dorcas. She looked around the crepuscular grounds, eerie in the moonlight, and noticed a stooped figure skulking alone by the edge of the forrest. Recognising who it was immediately, she told the others she’d meet them back inside and hurried over to him.  


“Sev!” she said happily. It wasn’t often she got to see her old friend outside of lessons.  


“Lily!” Said Severus, alarmed. He glanced over his shoulder.  


“What are you doing out here?”  


“Just… walking.” He checked over his shoulder again. Lily tried to peer through the dark to see what he was looking at.  


“Sev?” Some figures had emerged from the forest. Snape grabbed Lily’s arm and ushered her away.  


“Let’s go on a walk.” He murmured hurriedly. She followed him, trying to crane her neck to see who had been in the forest. Something told her not to ask, and instead let Severus draw her attention to the moon.

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Thought I'd quick a quick family background for a few of my OCs!  
> Ananja Jain is Parvatti and Padma's mum and Tatty Sullivan is Seamus Finnigan's aunt1 I've got a lot more OCs that link in like this but they haven't been introduced to you yet!  
> Hope you enjoyed!


	9. These Are the Days of Our Lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... It's a long one, I got a bit carried away!  
> Chapter title and lyrics at the start after the Queen song :)

_‘Sometimes I get to feeling  
I was back in the old days, long ago  
When we were kids  
When we were young  
Things seemed so perfect, you know  
The days were endless  
We were crazy, we were young’ ___

**Sirius ******

__“Hurry UP, slowpoke,” yelled James over his shoulder as he tore through the hallways, dodging amused students. Sirius tried to keep up with him, but the fancy shoes his mother had got for him weren’t made for running, or even walking. They were more of an ornament to be admired – just like every other superficial thing in the Black household, just like how Sirius’ mother wanted he himself to act.  
It was the Monday after the sunset excursion, and James hadn’t forgotten his idea to train the owls. He eventually made it to the owlery, panting slightly. By the time Peter arrived they had located James’s owl, a beautiful snowy. Sirius was surprised James didn’t have a pedigree, like he did. Peter collapsed in a heap as soon as he arrived, apparently unable to breathe.  
__

__“Why… Do we… have to… run… EVERYWHERE!” he wheezed.  
_ _

__“Where’s Remus gone?” inquired Sirius. Peter shrugged. “He was right behind me when we left charms! Did you see him?” Peter shook his head.  
_ _

__“Relax,” said James casually, “He’ll turn up. Maybe he just didn’t want to come. C’mon, Snowy’s got work to do.” Sirius froze, a grin infecting his previously concerned face.  
_ _

__“Did you just say your owl is called Snowy?” he scoffed. James flushed.  
_ _

__“I named him when I was little, alright? I’ve tried to change it but she only answers to Snowy.” The owl clucked her beak mischievously. “Oi stop laughing! I was seven!”  
Snowy proved herself to be an extremely intelligent owl, learning to spin so much faster than Archimedes had. They sat for a long time in the owlery, laughing at Snowy and discussing ways they could use the owls to prank the Slytherins. They only left when Snowy pooed in James’ Hair, causing him to howl in indignation.  
_ _

__“NOT MY HAIR!” he screamed as Sirius steered him through the corridors. “MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!”  
_ _

__“Probably mistook it for her nest,” chortled Sirius. “I sometimes do.” James elbowed Sirius clumsily, Sirius retaliated with an expertly aimed elbow between the ribs. James hadn’t grown up with brothers to practise on like Sirius had._ _

********

__Remus wasn’t at dinner, nor asleep in their dormitory as James had guessed, nor anywhere in Gryffindor tower. Sirius suggested they go look for him at Hagrid’s, but they were blocked by a tall figure as they tried to leave. It was Amos Diggory. Head boy.  
__

__“Now just where do you think you’re going?” he said pompously. From his highly polished badge to the hair styled to perfection with so much Sleekeazies Sirius could smell it from where he stood, it was obvious he thought a lot about himself. Sirius couldn’t imagine caring that much about hair.  
_ _

__“We’re just looking for our friend, we can’t find him anywhere,” said James with the same charming airs as he uses with McGonagall. Diggory just looked at him like a centaur would look at a horse.  
_ _

__“Remus Lupin?” James and Sirius shot each other anxious glances. “Took him to the hospital wing this after-”  
_ _

__“Why? Is he okay?” interrupted Sirius.  
_ _

__“He’s fine. He just felt feint, that’s all. Was trying to run somewhere.” He tugged on the lock of hair that had artfully fallen onto his face. Sirius noticed a group of girls watching him shamelessly. He went to push past but Amos held up an arm to stop him. “I can’t let you out this late, I’m sorry.” ‘Don’t look sorry’ thought Sirius as he watched his eyes flick to the group of girls. Pathetic. James grabbed his shoulder and dragged him away.  
_ _

__“What you looking so gloomy about? He’s just given us an excuse for our first night-time excursion.” Whispered James ecstatically. “We’ll just wait until he goes to bed, then sneak out!”_ _

********

__As it turned out, it wasn’t that easy. 7th years stayed is the common room until pretty late, especially the head boy.  
__

__“We’re going to have to cause a distraction,” muttered James to Sirius over Peter, who had fallen asleep. Sirius nodded mischievously.  
_ _

__“I’ve got the feeling you have something in mind?” The feeling was right._ _

********

__Five minutes later and the pair were crouching on the stairway, pockets stuffed with their tickets out of there, forming a plan. James’ hair seemed to be static with adrenaline.  
__

__“Hey James, I have a question. How come your hair is always such a mess when your father invented the biggest selling hair potion in the world?”  
_ _

__“Hey Sirius, I have a question. How come you never shut up?” They peered round the corner. Amos was still talking to one of the 7th year girls. “On my word,” whispered James, moving into position._ _

__“Three, two, one, FIRE!” The fireworks erupted into life, causing immediate uproar in the common room. As the boys ducked through the commotion, Sirius saw Amos putting out a fire on his head.  
They tore down the corridor, ignoring the Fat Lady’s shouts.  
_ _

__“Dr Fillibusters!” yelled James. “Never tried ‘em before, they’ve only just come on the market. Bloody brilliant!” Sirius shoved a hand over his friend’s mouth.  
_ _

__“Will you SHUT UP!” he hissed. “Filch is probably on patrol and EUCGH!” He retreated his hand. Something wet had touched it. “James Potter did you just LICK me?” James waggled his tongue in confirmation. “You repulse me, you really do.”  
_ _

__“It’s part of my charm,” shrugged James.  
_ _

__“Trust me, there nothing charming about you. You are the least charming person I know including my house-elf.”  
_ _

__“Hey, don’t throw shade on the house-elves dude, not cool.” said James protectively.  
_ _

__“You clearly haven’t met mine,”  
_ _

__“Why would I have met – oh no,” He froze midstride. Sirius followed his gaze until his eyes fell on a small shadowy figure. Mrs Norris.  
_ _

__“Run?” Asked Sirius.  
_ _

__“Run.” Replied James. The two boys flew down corridor after corridor with no idea where they were going. Despite their drastic situation Sirius found it strangely exhilarating, all this danger.  
The laugh that was rising in his throat died as he rounded the corner to find Professor McGonagall poised ready for them. James had skidded to a halt in front of him, and Sirius could feel him contemplating turning on his heel and running the other way. Sirius took in the thinness of McGonagall’s lips and the glare in her eye, and he knew they were in serious trouble.  
_ _

__“Good evening, Prof,” said James amicably, as if they had just bumped into McGonagall on their way out of the Great Hall. “By the way, are you aware you’re dreaming right now?”  
_ _

__“Follow. Me.” She said sternly before turning on her heel.  
_ _

__“Did you know you sleep talk as well?” called James. Sirius grabbed his arm and dragged him along. “Worth a shot,” he whispered to Sirius, who glared at him.  
_ _

__“We could get expelled,” hissed Sirius, beginning to chew on his thumb knuckle.  
_ _

__“Nah, she’ll threaten us with that, but the worse we’ll get is a detention.” Sirius wasn’t convinced. He couldn’t leave his home.  
_ _

__“Ooooo! Ickle firsties out of bed? Minnie won’t be happy!” Peeves had rounded a corner, looking delighted  
_ _

__“Get outta here Peeves!” said Sirius through gritted teeth,  
_ _

__They followed McGonagall into her office. Sirius had been in there twice already, but both times he’d just been amused, even relaxed. Right now he bit down on his thumb knuckle. He imagined what his mother would say if she could see him doing this particular habit right now and gnawed harder.  
_ _

__“Never,” began McGonagall, chest swelling, “In my time as a teacher have I caught two first years rampaging around the castle at this ungodly hour.”  
_ _

__“Ah but just because you haven’t caught them doesn’t mean no one has,” said James, who seemed to regret speaking immediately.  
_ _

__“I don’t think that helps your situation Mr Potter.” She continued ranting about how disappointed she was in the pair of them, reminding them of her expectations of Gryffindor students. Sirius noticed she looked directly at him when she said that.  
“\_ _

__Are you going to expel us?” burst out Sirius. McGonagall frowned slightly.  
_ _

__“No, Mr Black. Of course not.” Relief flooded into Sirius so strong he almost missed what she said next. “But I will be writing home to your parents.” The wave of relief retracted so suddenly it was as if it were a real wave. “And I’m putting you on dormitory lockdown. You are not permitted to leave Gryffindor tower except for lessons and mealtimes, until Friday,” She added. Sirius waited for her to deliver her final line. “And fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor House.”_ _

********

__

********

__“FIFTY?” repeated Peter for the third time the following morning at breakfast.  
__

__“Yep.” groaned James, head in his hands. In unison the three boys turned to look at the hourglasses that held all the points. Gryffindor’s sudden drop to fourth place had not gone unnoticed. Sirius slipped his shoes off beneath the table. They were still rubbing.  
_ _

__“Uh oh, abort, abort.” Muttered James. But before he could get up he was confronted by Amos Diggory. His usually perfect hair was singed at the ends. Peter sniggered unhelpfully.  
_ _

__“Professor McGonagall has just told me something very odd,” He began angrily. “She seems to think she found you two sneaking around in the middle of the night. Now, how would that be possible when I specifically seem to recall me forbidding it?” He glared at the both of them. “I also seem to recall, that just ten minutes before you were caught, somebody decided to put on a firework display in the Gryffindor common room.”  
_ _

__“Sorry we weren’t there to see it!” said Sirius with a look of sickening innocence. It was the face he used when he knew there was no way he could wriggle out of trouble.  
_ _

__“Nice hair!” chimed in James, unable to resist. As Amos swelled with anger, a second voice came from behind him.  
_ _

__“I’ll take it from here, Amos.” Said Andromeda Black.  
_ _

__“Oh no you won’t.” He spat. Drommie glanced at his Head Boy badge.  
_ _

__“What does Milly think of your Head Girl partner?” she said sweetly.  
_ _

__“What’s that supposed to mean,”  
_ _

__“Only that, I think I’d want to know what my boyfriend really got up to in his supposed meetings with his Head Girl, if you catch my drift.” He stared at her in shock, colour rising in his face, and retreated back up the table.  
_ _

__“That’s what I thought. Still, I’m telling Millie anyway.” She reached over and grabbed the bacon butty off Sirius’ plate.  
_ _

__“Hey! That’s Gryffindor food.” Whined Sirius.  
_ _

__“Shut up and let the cool lady eat,” said James in awe. Drommie surveyed him.  
_ _

__“Are you the boy leading my cousin astray?” she demanded.  
_ _

__“Cousin?” James glared at Sirius. “You never told me you had a badass cousin Sirius!”  
_ _

__“If you’re here to tell me off, Drommie, you can get lost.” Muttered Sirius as he reached for more bacon.  
_ _

__“I more came over here to get into Amos’ head, but if that’s your attitude then I will,” she snapped, and stalked off. The extra sway in her walk told Sirius he had upset her. He knew she was probably only coming to check on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry. He didn’t need to be babied by his cousin._ _

********

__The next few days were surprisingly a lot of fun. It turns out James Potter really knew how to keep himself entertained. On one occasion Peter entered the room to find Sirius knocked out and James freaking out after attempting to levitate Sirius around the room. They had also stolen two swords from the suits of armour so James and Sirius could spend their afternoons sword fighting. On their way to charms the next day they had seen the two suits of armour clattering around the hallways looking for their lost weapons. They had also made good progress with Snowie’s training.  
Archimedes had returned bearing both a letter from Reggie and an angry essay of all the reasons he had let the family down from his mother. Sirius was surprised her wrath wasn’t more manic, but he supposed she cared less about him losing points for a rival house. Reggie’s letter had both cheered him up and depressed him. He had written how lonely he was without Sirius, asking for more stories of his ‘funny friend, (which James was chuffed with when Sirius showed him), but also begging him not to anger mother anymore. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered Sirius. Remus was still missing. Where was he? But he couldn’t bring himself to ask Peter to go visit him, he knew Peter didn’t care for Remus._ _

********

__By Wednesday, they began to get restless. Sirius found himself pacing up and down the dormitory, fidgeting with whatever object he could find. Despite frequent confinement punishments as a child, Sirius had never been able to stand staying still. Or maybe that was the reason he couldn’t. James had reported that even in his sleep he would toss and turn as if he was ‘sleeping in the belly of a dragon.’ Sirius was just thankful that James didn’t believe in the wizard folklore that restless sleep connoted connections with dark spirits.  
__

__“At least we won’t miss the match on Saturday,” said Sirius for the hundredth time as he threw himself dramatically on the window ledge, staring longingly out at the rain sodden grounds. James was pacing the floor, which was a sign he was about to start cartwheeling soon.  
_ _

__“REMUS!” cried James suddenly. Sirius toppled off the ledge just in time to see Remus enter the room. He hurried over to the small boy but stopped abruptly when he got a good look at him. He looked worse than Sirius had ever seen him.  
_ _

__“Are you alright?” asked Sirius worriedly. Remus looked like he was about to pass out, but still nodded.  
_ _

__“Yes, I’m fine, I’m fine.” Croaked Remus insistently.  
_ _

__“You don’t sound fine!” Said Sirius. “You sound like you’ve been gargling glass!”  
_ _

__“Where were you?” demanded James. “We could have done with your company, me and Sirius are on lockdown.”  
_ _

__“Sirius and I,” corrected Remus. Then he looked horrified at himself.  
_ _

__“Come on, let’s get you to bed, you look like a ghost.” Said Sirius hurriedly, leading a swaying Remus to his bed._ _

********

__

********

__***_ _

********

__“What do you mean you’re just going to stay here and read!” said James in disbelief. Sirius, James and Peter were decked out in their Gryffindor gear for the first match of the year: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff. Sirius had borrowed James’ spare hat and scarf. Remus muttered something about being behind on homework but James cut him off.  
__

__“No, Remus. I’m not gonna have one of my best friends miss our FIRST ever Gryffindor match.” He started to root around for another hat, whilst Remus stood there stunned. Sirius saw him mouth the words best friend. Sirius remembered how he had felt when James had first called him his best friend and saw the same warmth radiate from Remus as he accepted the hat from James. He walked to the quidditch grounds with an extra skip in his step._ _

********

__Whenever Sirius had attended a quidditch match before, it had been a publicity event for his family. They sat in their own private box, straight backed and politely clapping. Sirius remembered painfully how Reggie had once got over excited at a particularly impressive catch, too young to understand why his mother was angry. Sirius had heard him crying all through the night. The next day, Sirius had filled his mother’s shoes with doxy powder._ _

********

__So, it was with great excitement that was dragged through the jostling crowd. Despite the match not starting in a whole hour, the stadium was already alive with students, some waving banners, others wearing face paint. Sirius even saw one 6th year – Jacob Jordan, commonly referred to as JJ – painted fully in gold paint, wearing nothing but a red tutu skirt.  
__

__“You did NOT paint your ass too,” his friend was saying.  
_ _

__“Are you asking me to prove it to you Johnson?” he replied, wiggling his eyebrows. Sirius hurried after James, grasping Remus’ hand so he didn’t get swallowed up in the crowd. James was ahead of them, squeezing through gaps his practised eye could find.  
By the time Sirius, Remus and Peter caught up was him he was lying spreadeagled in the seats right at the front of the Gryffindor Box, barking at anyone who tried to take the seats.  
_ _

__“Finally!” He cried in exasperation. “You have no idea what I just went through to keep these seats for you!” Alex, Blue and Frank sat the row behind, looking slightly disgruntled.  
_ _

__“Is your brother playing, Alex?” said Sirius._ _

__Alex nodded excitedly.“This is his first match as Captain. My oldest brother is so jealous, he was never Captain. HE was in Fabian Prewett’s year, you see. Most talented chaser Gryffindor has had in years.”  
_ _

__“Yeah? Well we’ll see about that!” yelled James over the roar that reverberated around the stadium as the Gryffindor quidditch team walked out onto the pitch. Sirius could feint with excitement. James looked like he was about to explode.  
The first-year boys cheered loudly as Alistair Wood shook hands with Hufflepuff Captain.  
_ _

__“What position does he play?” yelled Sirius.  
_ _

__“That’s Ted Tonks!” Replied Alex, who knew the low-down on all the Hogwarts quidditch players. “He plays beater!”  
_ _

__“Makes sense,” said Frank Longbottom. “Look at the size of him!” Ted Tonks certainly filled out his robes impressively. Sirius checked out the Gryffindor beaters and gulped. It looked as if their beaters bats were thicker than their own arms. Gryffindor apparently hadn’t one the Quidditch Cup in five years, since Fabian Prewett had left.  
Coach Hangleberry blew his whistle and the teams kicked off. The roar around Sirius had reached tumultuous. Kingsley Shacklebolt – seeker -flew past the Gryffindor box grinning. _ _

********

__The match grew more and more ferocious as the minutes passed. Hufflepuff was in the lead, despite Wood making some excellent. Every time the Gryffindor chasers got hold of the ball, it was forced out of their possession by expertly aimed bludgers. James grew more and more frustrated with the Gryffindor chasers. Remus looked slightly confused the whole match, despite Sirius’ explanations.  
It turned out the Jacob Jordan was commentator, and he remained to be a solid source of entertainment throughout the match.  
__

__“And Turner drops the quaffle! She was probably checking me out, I don’t blame her!”  
“Does anybody else think Tonks ought to use his left hand, just to even it out a bit?”  
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT PARKER? I’m sorry Professor but he just knocked out his own partner there.” That was a particularly painful moment of the match. Although, as James pointed out, the beater was so rubbish it probably wouldn’t make a difference.  
_ _

__“AND SHACKLEBOLT HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH! HE’S PULLED INTO A SPECTACULAR DIVE! GO ON KING I PAINTED MY ASS GOLD FOR THIS!” Even in his magnified voice he had to shout over the roar of the crowd. “ABBOT IS HOT ON HIS TAIL THOUGH, KING IS CLOSING IN ON AND THE SNITCH, AND NOOOOOOOOO-” Out of nowhere Ted Tonks had swung a bludger at Kingsley, so focused on the snitch he didn’t see it coming. Sirius wasn’t sure if he imagined the sound of bone breaking – surely Kingsley was too far away for the sound to reach him. “FELICITY ABBOT TAKES THE SNITCH! TONKS YOU SON OF A-” But Professor McGonagall had silenced him, seeming to know from experience what happened when Gryffindor lost. Sirius watched as the Hufflepuff team did a lap of honour around the pitch. But Sirius didn’t feel bitter, the feeling of being a part of a crowd, a part of his house was enough for him. He doubted James would feel the same though. Unsurprisingly, James was hanging limply over the barrier in dismay. Sirius wondered if he would have to carry him back to the castle. Before he could say anything though, Remus had put a hand on James’ shoulder.  
_ _

__“James?” He said tentatively. James grunted in response. “Think of it this way: when you make the team, they’re going to appreciate you so much more when you help them win! You’ll be a-” Remus looked around wildly, trying to think of the right words, “- a hero!” James raised his head.  
_ _

__“A hero?” He repeated dazedly.  
_ _

__“Yeah!” Encouraged Remus, nose turning pink. “After so long, you’ll help Gryffindor win!”  
_ _

__“You think so?”  
_ _

__“I know so.” Remus smiled. James looked suddenly cheered. He pulled a startled Remus into a hug. Sirius leaned over the edge to see what was happening. The Gryffindor team stood huddled around Kingsley, who was sprawled on the floor. As he watched, Madame Pompfrey came striding onto the pitch to tend to him. Strangely, Drommie was also hanging about on the pitch, all alone._ _

********

__That night all four boys were in their dormitory. James and Sirius were pretending to play quidditch, reinacting impressive moments from the match earlier on. Peter was ‘commentating’, while Remus caused a ball of parchment to fly around like a snitch.  
__

__“Kingsley is closing in on the snitch!” yelled Peter. James scrambled after the makeshift snitch, Remus aiming it so he was forced to vault over beds.  
_ _

__“Not so fast Shacklebolt!” shouted Sirius in a high-pitched voice, acting as Felicity Abbot. He chased after James clumsily.  
_ _

__“Oh no! A bludger!” Peter roared before launching himself at James, knocking him to the floor. Sirius tripped over the tangle of bodies in front of him, but not before grabbing the flying ball of paper. The boys wriggled around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Just as they begun to gain control of themselves, Peter snorted, and they relapsed into a state of hysteria._ _

__Remus had taken over the commentating, although wheezing with laughter himself. “And Felicity catches the snitch! But one the players seem to be possessed by a pig. Look, he’s crawling around snorting,” Remus couldn’t continue at the sight of Peter’s pig impression._ _

********

__***_ _

********

__Over the next few weeks, the boys focused their energy on coming up with a plan for how they could use their owls in a spectacular prank. The idea came about when James was telling Remus the tragic story of Snowy pooing in his hair during one herbology lesson.  
__

__“I wish she could do that on command, we could get her to recreate it to show Remus,” said Sirius casually as he re-potted his plant. There was a clatter as James dropped his pot.  
_ _

__“You. Are. Brilliant!” he declared, ignoring Professor Beery’s annoyed remark. Sirius blinked for a few seconds, then suddenly understood the mischievous glint in James’ eye.  
_ _

__“Oh hell yes.” He said, fist pumping James.  
_ _

__“Do they always talk like that?” said Frank Longbottom to Remus. Remus smiled fondly at James and Sirius.  
_ _

__“You get used to it.” Was all he said._ _

********

__It took a while to choose their target. James was set on Snape ever since he had seen him shove Remus into a trick stair. He would have been hexed out of Scotland if Sirius had known how, which he thought was a serious gap in his magical education. But as Sirius pointed out, Snape cared so little about his appearance the prank would be lost on him._ _

********

__“We need to find someone who has never touched dirt in his life, someone who preens themselves in the mirror daily.” Said Sirius thoughtfully, bolting down his dinner – him and James had a detention from Professor Flitwick in ten minutes. At that exact moment there was a commotion over at the Slytherin table. A second year had just spilt their pumpkin juice over Lucius Malfoy and was now being shook violently by the prefect.  
__

__“My father WILL hear about this,” he screamed.  
_ _

__“Well, well, well,” said James. He was watching the drama with eyes alight. “I believe we have found our target.” Sirius gulped, and said nothing.  
He gave up trying to persuade James to change targets. He had been briefly tempted by the opportunity to get Dorcas and Callum back, but decided pranking a Slytherin was way moreworth his time. They decided to initiate the plan on Sirius’ birthday, which Sirius had to admit was a pretty cool present._ _

********

__“Three…Two…One…LUMOS MAXIMA!” The dormitory was thrown into immediate brightness. Sirius scrabbled around for his wand, ripping open the hangings on his bed.  
__

__“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SIRIUS!” The three boys chorused as Sirius grinned sheepishly into the light.  
_ _

__“What made you write a song for me!” Said Sirius, impressed. The others looked at each other, confused.  
_ _

__“Sirius, that’s the birthday song? That everyone sings on their birthday?” Replied James. Sirius was momentarily muddled, then punched James’ arm playfully.  
_ _

__“I was kidding!” He wasn’t kidding. Birthdays in the Black household were always a solemn, formal affair. He wasn’t surprised by the discovery that other children got songs.  
_ _

__“Next time we’ll write you one.” Laughed James. “Now open my present first!”  
_ _

__“You got me a present?” Quizzed Sirius. “I thought the prank was my birthday present!” He tore off the paper to reveal a pair of… binoculars?  
_ _

__“Try them!” urged James, pulling Sirius to the window. Sirius put the pair to his eyes.  
_ _

__“Woah!” Breathed Sirius. He twizzled one of the buttons on the side, zooming into the Whomping Willow. It was like he was standing just next to it.  
_ _

__“They’re called omnioculars!” explained James. They’re this new tech they’ve got going on for the Quidditch World Cup. See the replay buttons, and the slow motion?” Sirius found Hagrid, up early and digging in his garden. He got him to wipe his forehead with a huge handkerchief over and over again. “I thought they’d be good for pranks and stuff as well as quidditch.”  
_ _

__“They’re great, thanks mate!” Sirius turned on the spot, omnioculars still pressed into his face. They focused on Remus’ amber eyes, and Sirius quickly brought them down.  
_ _

__“You’ve got more presents, Sirius!” said Peter, weighing them in his hands.  
He opened a book on quidditch from his Uncle Alphard, a bag of galleons from his grandparents – significantly smaller than last year – a new chess set from Drommie, who had taught him how to play, and a huge box of chocolates from Peter. Sirius also received a card from Reggie he had made himself. On the front depicted two black-haired brothers. Sirius smiled. Reggie was an exceptional drawer for his age.  
_ _

__“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” Muttered Sirius as he opened his present from his parents. It was a complete set of hat, scarf, gloves and even a fancy, expensive umbrella, all with the Slytherin crest on them. “What am I meant to do with these?”  
_ _

__“It’s all right, mum sent me loads spare. You can borrow mine.” Said James, shooting the present a disgruntled look. Sirius tried to surreptitiously check the end of his bed for any more presents. It seemed he had really hurt his entire family’s feelings. Still, he told himself, they usually weren’t anything exciting.  
_ _

__“Here’s my present, Sirius.” Said Remus shyly. Sirius took the present in surprise. The box had been carefully wrapped in what looked like muggle wrapping paper, since it didn’t move. He gently prised it off and opened the box to find a cake, an actual cake, decorated with icing and the words ‘Happy Birthday Sirius’.  
_ _

__“My mum made it!” said Remus, looking at Sirius to gage whether he liked it or not. “It’s chocolate, she makes it for me for my birthday every year…” He trailed off, picking at the duvet.  
_ _

__“I love it!” assured Sirius, trying not to let any emotion show in his voice. Let’s eat it now!” They cut it messily using James’ wand as a knife, who said he could just lick it later on if he fancied a snack in charms. The cake was divine. James tried to feed some to Archimedes and Snowy – they were keeping them in their dormitory for now – but Sirius stopped him indignantly, chiding him for almost wasting it.  
They licked their fingers contentedly, complimenting Remus’ mum over and over again until Remus beamed wider than he ever had. _ _

********

__Once they had had their fill, James rubbed his hands together.  
__

__“Right lads, let’s get this show on the road.” Together, they walked over to the two owls. “You guys know what to do? Tail Lucius all day, whenever you need to – defecate,” Sirius snorted at this, and James aimed a kick at him before continuing. “you aim for him, like we practised?” They had indeed been practising, much to the disgust of Sirius. The owls hooted. Sirius believed if Archimedes could roll his eyes, he would’ve done.  
_ _

__“Okay, now you can start at breakfast.” Said Sirius, feeding the two owls a handful of owl treats, before they glided out the window._ _

********

__Frank, Blue, Edgar and Alex wished Sirius a happy birthday when they arrived at breakfast, and Sirius said a distracted thank you, eyes fixed on Lucius. He was quite overwhelmed by the amount of birthday attention he was getting. They had all chosen seats on the same side of the table so the Slytherins were in view, as opposed to the usual James and peter on one side, Remus and Sirius on the other. When the owl post swooped in, Sirius sat up a little straighter.  
__

__“Three…Two…One…”  
_ _

__“EUGH!” Lucius Malfoy leapt from his seat. No sooner as his friends began to laugh at him, a second dollop of owl poo had landed right across his face. Sirius wheezed with laughter. Unbelievably, a few other owls seemed to have caught on. A third and fourth dollop hit Lucius who screamed in indignation. He hurried out the hall, undoubtedly so he could come to no further harm, but Snowy and Archimedes followed him out along with the other two owls who had participated in the prank.  
_ _

__“Happy Birthday Me!” cheered Sirius._ _

********

__News spread fast throughout the Gryffindors of who had. Throughout the course of the day Sirius and James were given updates by various 5th year students who were in the same classes as Lucius.  
__

__“It was brilliant, they swooped in during Potions and aimed right for his cauldron! Completely ruined his potion!”  
“He’s flummoxed, he’s got no idea what’s going on.”  
“Cheered for making History of Magic less boring!”  
_ _

__Sirius had to hand it to the owls – they certainly had a flare for mischief.  
_ _

__“Shame you don’t have an owl, Remus.” said Sirius, turning to Remus and James “Hey, where did Remus go?”  
_ _

__“Maybe he went to the loo?” Guessed James.  
But when he didn’t turn up for Charms Sirius knew Remus Lupin had disappeared again._ _

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow thanks so much for reading!


	10. It's a Sin

Lily 

Severus bent awkwardly over his cauldron so his nose almost touched the surface of the potion. Having finished her antidote already Lily was watching her fellow classmates at work. She supposed that was one trait she had inherited from her mother: she loved to people watch. For different reasons, however. Whereas her mum snooped around in other people’s business for gossip, Lily liked to observe people in order to understand them. And because it was amusing. 

She watched as Black squirted beetle eye juice so it spattered across Potter’s glasses. Frank Longbottom was looking at his sludgy potion with a slight concerned expression on his face, which was mirrored by Tatty’s as she attempted to fix her smouldering potion. Lily peered through the fumes to the corner of the class where she knew Jenny Hino sat alone. She was gently stirring her potion with a sad, distant expression on her face. Jenny was in Slytherin House, but unlike what seemed like every other Slytherin, Lily had learnt she was muggleborn. This wasn’t the only thing that set her apart from other Slytherins – she only had one arm. Lily didn’t think it fair at all that just because Jenny was different to the rest of the Slytherins they rejected everything about her. For the past few weeks she had been watching Jenny with increasing conflict. 

When the bell rung to signify the end of the lesson, she had made up her mind. She said goodbye to Severus and grabbed Marlene’s hand to drag her along. It took Lily a while to catch up to her. 

“Jenny!” She called through the crowd. “Jenny!” 

“What are you doing?” muttered Marlene. Jennie had turned around to look for who was calling her name and Lily waved at her. She just looked more alarmed. 

“Hey!” said Lily breathlessly. “Marlene and I were just going for a walk across the grounds and we were wondering if you’d like to come?” Marlene glared at Lily. Maybe she should’ve brought Tatty instead. Tatty could happily talk the ears off practically anyone. 

“Oh, um,” stammered Jenny shyly, and Lily immediately wished she got to talk more. She had a beautiful, flute-like voice. “Okay?” she gave in. 

Lily led them out into the grounds. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, nearing the end of October. Marlene fidgeted beside her and Lily knew she was wishing for someone to break the silence. “So where are you from?” said Lily, making a brave stab at conversation.  
But Jenny sighed, annoyed. “I’m Japanese if that’s what you’re referring to.” She said boredly. 

“No, sorry I meant where do you live? I like your accent.” said Lily. 

“Oh,” said Jenny in surprise. She smiled for the first time. “Yorkshire.” There was another awkward silence.  
“You’re muggle born aren’t you,” Jenny burst out before Lily could think of something else to say. 

“Um, yeah,” said Lily taken aback. 

“And you,” she turned to Marlene. “You punched Mulciber in the face when he called Lily a mudblood.” 

“Yeah, well. I don’t stand for that sort of thing.” Said Marlene awkwardly. 

"Thank you,” gushed Jenny. “It meant a lot to see his nose pouring with blood like that.” Marlene snorted. 

“Are they horrible to you, Jenny?” asked Lily sincerely. 

“Who, Muliciber?” Lily nodded, and Jenny laughed. “That old wart? He doesn’t bother me.” 

“Oh he’s worse than a wart,” began Marlene. As the girls came up with worse and worse things to describe Mulciber, Lily wondered whether Jenny was genuinely as nonchalant about his bullying as she acted. 

Over the next few weeks Jenny became increasingly acquainted to the Gryffindor girls. She still spent most of her time alone, but Lily had come to understand she liked it that way. She was what her mother would call a ‘lone wolf’. The girls were just a friendly face in the hallways, a person to joke with on walks around the grounds, or a partner in astronomy. Lily couldn’t help but notice Jenny spent as little time in the Slytherin common room as possible but decided against saying anything. She got the feeling Jenny didn’t like talking about her feelings, much the same Marlene, which was possibly why the two girls got on so well. 

One evening in early November the girls were getting ready for an astrology lesson. Astrology had become one of Lily’s favourite classes, mainly because she got to look at the stars. Back home, the stars were always hidden by layers of smog or else by something her Dad called light pollution. Lily had always overlooked them, never truly understanding why so much poetry was written about the stars. But Hogwarts had made her wonder how anyone could ever _stop _talking about them. Her fellow dormmates didn’t share her passion and grumbled about how cold it was going to be as they pulled on their Gryffindor hats and scarves. It was almost impossible to move with so many layers on, but Lily knew they would be grateful once they were out there.__

__As they climbed the steps up to the astronomy tower, Lily listened to the conversation behind them. Her well-practised ears could tune into any interesting conversation within earshot._ _

__“You don’t think he’s been kidnapped do you?” said a concerned voice._ _

__“Kidnapped?” laughed a second. “Are you hearing yourself Sirius?”_ _

__“It’s not funny James!” It was James Potter and Sirius Black. “He’s not in the hospital wing and he’s been missing for FIVE days. What if someone’s taken him?”_ _

__“Chill out dude, we’re at Hogwarts. Maybe Remus has gone home for a bit, you know how homesick he gets. I just can’t believe he disappeared on your birthday…” They had reached the top of the tower now and James and Sirius were too far away to hear. Lily felt slightly guilty for thinking Sirius didn’t care about Remus. He was quite clearly very distressed about him._ _

__“Jenny!” exclaimed Tatty next to her. “You must be freezing!” Jenny was stood shivering in just her usual robes, but she refused the hat that Lily offered her, insisting she was okay.  
Professor Nightingale set them to work filling out their star maps for the Draco constellation. It was hard to work in the biting cold, Lily could hardly move her fingers to adjust her telescope and couldn’t begin to imagine how cold Jenny was feeling._ _

__“Why didn’t you wear your hat and scarf Jenny?” said Lily through chattering teeth. Jenny’s lips were blue against her porcelain skin._ _

__“Don’t have any,” shrugged Jenny, adjusting her telescope artfully with her elbow and scribbling the position of something onto her star chart. “My parents don’t have much money, and once we got all my new witch stuff we couldn’t afford it.” Behind her, Sirius Black had turned to look. Lily wished he wouldn’t. When it came to things most people were embarrassed about, Jenny didn’t seem to care, but Lily never knew how to respond.As they carried on with their star charts Lily tried to think of something to do. If Jenny carried on like this she’d get ill; but Lily knew she’d never accept it if Lily sent home for some._ _

__“Oh, Professor. I’m not joking my shoe just got frozen to the floor. Can we please go inside?” pleaded Alex Wood. Only once Professor Nightingale had taken in the state of her student did she agree. The class hurried to the door in a stampede._ _

__“Wait! Jenny, wait!” It was Sirius Black. “Wait here, I’ll be back in 5 minutes. Promise you’ll wait?” He dashed off around the corner once Jenny sworn to stay put._ _

__“What was that about?” said Jenny but Lily just shook her head in confusion. It was just the two of them left in the corridor. Lily was just beginning to feel like Sirius had just left them there as a joke when he came hurtling round the corner clutching something green._ _

__“Here,” he huffed, holding out an entire set of Slytherin winter clothes. Jenny stuttered in shock. “Please. I’m sorry for eavesdropping, I swear I didn’t mean to. But Mother got these for me for my birthday, and it’s not as if I can wear them. Please take them, I don’t need them, I don’t want them.” He had a look of desperation on his face now, an expression that was so uncharacteristic to the cheery Sirius Black. Jenny reached out to accept and he sighed with relief._ _

__“Thank you, Sirius.” She said sincerely, then laughed. “You can keep the right glove if you like – not exactly like I can wear it!”  
“Umm okay? Maybe I’ll give it to my House-elf, then, he deserves it.” Jenny laughed again and bid them goodnight and hurried away. Lily and Sirius started towards their own common room together awkwardly. _ _

__“Why did your mum get you Slytherin stuff if you’re in Gryffindor?” She asked._ _

__“I don’t know, I think to punish me or make fun of me or something.” He shrugged. Lily looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “It’s alright though, James got me some really cool stuff, and Remus' mum actually baked me a cake!” Unlike Jenny, it was very clear that Sirius wasn’t as unconcerned as he was pretending to be._ _

__“That was a really nice thing you did for Jenny back there,” said Lily after a long awkward silence, causing Sirius to look just as surprised at Lily’s words as she felt. Lily had previously made it perfectly clear her dislike for Sirius._ _

__“Thanks Evans,” he grinned. Lily rolled her eyes._ _

__“That’s already gone to your head hasn’t it?” Sirius confirmed this and gave the password to The Fat Lady. The common room was empty but for their first year astronomy classmates from all four dorms, huddled around the fire. It seemed no one had gone to bed yet. Sirius and Lily hurried to join them, leaving the portrait hole slightly ajar.  
So busy thawing their numb hands, nobody noticed the clanging noise in the corridor behind them._ _

__“I don’t think I’ve ever been this cold,” whispered Mary, shivering violently._ _

****__Clang. Clang. Clang._ _ ** **

__“Do you suppose we could persuade the house-elves to bring us some cocoa or something?” said Tatty._ _

****__Clang. Clang. Clang._ _ ** **

__“Can anyone hear that?” said Lila Halfpenny suddenly._ _

****__CLANG. CLANG. CLANG_ _ ** **

__The Fat Lady screamed.  
The huddle swung round immediately. Standing in the entrance were two knights, towering in shining armour. Except they weren’t knights, that couldn’t be right. They were suits of armour, the very same that stood in every corridor of the castle. But alive, and somehow angry. _ _

__“Wh-what do you want,” stammered Frank Longbottom, standing to the front of the group. Both knights turned their heads towards Frank in identical creaking motions. He gulped visibly. Unanimously they raised their arms to point at Sirius Black and James Potter. A look of understanding shot between them_ _

__“What did you do?” hissed Lily, but they didn’t answer._ _

__“Look, wait here and I’ll go get them, I promise,” said James calmly to the knights. “Don’t do anything.” He hurried upstairs while the rest of the Gryffindors looked expectantly at Sirius._ _

__“We, um, kind of nicked their swords.” Explained Sirius. “I expect they want them back.” Sure enough, at the mention of swords, the suits had started clanging around again._ _

__“Are they going to kill you Sirius?” squeaked Peter Pettigrew. Mary squealed._ _

__“Are you mad, Pettigrew? Of course not!” said Frank Longbottom. James came crashing down the stairs, clutching two swords._ _

__“Here.” He said calmly, as if he was just handing in late homework or something. He put the swords in the suits’ outstretched hands. There were just a few seconds of relief before Lily knew it was a mistake._ _

__“GET BACK!” She yelled. James turned to her in confusion just as the knight slashed the sword through the air. Sirius managed to tackle him out the way while dodging his own attacker. The first years screamed for help. Lily pulled out her wand but could think of nothing to do with it. Blind panic rose within her. The suits were advancing on James and Sirius who were backing into a corner. It would be too late by the time help arrived. She had to do something now._ _

__“WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!” she yelled, aiming her wand at one of the swords. It flew into the air. Beside her, Marlene pulled out her own wand. The second sword rose into the air.  
But the knights still advanced. One had its hands around James’ neck, the other was swinging punches at Sirius. Lily and Marlene were stuck levitating the swords, too scared to move them in case the lost control and they fell on the boys._ _

__“Somebody do something!” pleaded Sirius._ _

__“IMMOBLIATE! RELASHIO!” Gideon Prewett had appeared out of nowhere. Both suits were frozen; the fingers curled around James’ neck had slackened. The two boys wriggled free. Lily and Marlene finally released the swords and they fell to the ground with an almighty crash. Suddenly the common room was full of bleary eyed Gryffindors, all staring at the two immobilised knights. In their lifeless state they looked nothing more than two pieces of metal._ _

__“Are you alright?” said Gideon to James and Sirius. James nodded his head, clutching his neck. But a dark liquid was beginning to pool around Sirius. Gideon pulled back his robes to reveal a nasty slash. Several people gasped, someone made a sort of strangled noise that Lily only realised she had made several seconds later._ _

__“Hospital Wing.” said Gideon trying to compose himself. James was staring green faced at Sirius’ leg. “Kingsley, can you do your thing?” No sooner had Kingsley conjured up a stretcher did James fall to the floor. Frank crouched over him._ _

__“I think he’s feinted!” He cried. Gideon lifted James himself and hurried out of the open portrait hole. Immediately a cacophony of noise erupted within the room. Prefects gave up ordering people to bed. A seventh year led Lily over to an armchair an sat her down._ _

__“That was some nice wand work you did just then. Probably saved both their lives.” she said kindly. “I’m Millie.” Lily was too in shock to reply._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't even plan for this to happen.. I just got carried away!  
> Hope you enjoyed :)


	11. I Predict a Riot

Madame Pomfrey exclaimed in shock when she saw the scene in front of her. Without asking questions she started snapping orders to Kingsley and Gideon.

“Am I going to die?” croaked Sirius.

“Die? Don’t be silly,” she said, swallowing a laugh to remain professional. “We’ve got a dramatic one here haven’t we? Hold still now, this is going to hurt.” Sirius prepared himself, determined to prove he wasn’t dramatic. But as soon as she began healing that thought went out the window. He screamed, clutching Gideon’s hand so tight it went blue. James jolted awake at Sirius’ voice but feinted again at the sight of his mangled leg.

“There we go.” Finished Madame Pomfrey. Sirius peered down at his leg, astonished. Where just minutes ago his flesh was ripped open there was a clean cut. “I’ll close it properly in the morning, poppet, it’s too sensitive right now. Kingsley where is that blood replenishing potion?” She worked swiftly. In no time Sirius’ leg was swamped in bandages and he was dosed with different potions. He felt the tug of Sleep, her embrace so warm and familiar. The scene began to ebb away as he gave into the feeling.

Sirius’ dreams were filled with strange shadows. They came in and out of focus: first the shape of a knight rearing over him, before fading into his mother in the armor, this time sword raised. Then he was looking at the scene from afar, this time Regulus in his place. 

He woke with a gasp. He was writhing about on the floor of the… Where was he? A wave of pain washed over him so suddenly he let out a yell. Within seconds Madame Pomfrey was by his side.

When he next awoke, daylight was creeping quietly across the room. He gradually become aware of someone sitting by his bed. When his eyes finally focused he let out a cry of surprise.  
“Remus!” The small boy jerked awake. He was wearing his usual striped pyjamas and looked just as ill as he usually did on his reappearance.

“Sirius!” He croaked. “Are you all right? Madame Pomfrey told me what happened.” Sirius hauled himself into a sitting position. Everything from the night before came flooding back.

“Is James okay?” He asked suddenly. the image of James being strangled by the suit of armor burning in his mind. Remus leaned to the side so he wasn’t blocking James from Sirius’ vision. He was sleeping peacefully, but even from his bed Sirius could see the hand-shaped bruising on his neck. 

“Madame Pomfrey says he won’t be able to speak. Not forever!” He added hurriedly when Sirius looked alarmed. “For a few days at least.” The pair stared at their snoozing friend. Even in sleep it was strange to see him silent. Sirius wondered how he would cope when he regained consciousness. “She said your leg will take a little bit of time to fully heal as well,” continued Remus. 

“I thought she said she could fix it in the morning?”

“That was before you fell on it.” Remus said sadly. “Healing wounds are more delicate than fairy wings.” Sirius peered down at his leg, still swamped in bandages.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall walked in. She was followed by – Sirius sat up a little bit straighter – Professor Dumbledore. Their expressions of worry were hurriedly smoothed when they realised Sirius was awake.

“Mr Black!” said McGonagall tersely. “How are you feeling?” Sirius told them he was okay, quite truthfully. The matron hurried out of her office. Professor Dumbledore turned to her.

“We were wondering if we could have a little talk with young Mr Black, Poppy.” He said good-naturedly.

“Just as soon as I’ve checked him over, Albus.” She said, bustling over to his bed. “Remus dear, you had best run along to your dormitory and get ready for your day.” 

Once Sirius had had fresh doses of his potions, he was deemed healthy enough to talk to the two Professors. “No, Madame! Please, I think I am too tired.” He burst out. He didn’t like the way Dumbledore’s eyes were surveying him. It had suddenly occurred to him he was in grave trouble – he had stolen school property, placing everybody in danger. But Dumbledore chuckled.

“You’re not in trouble, Sirius,” he said softly. He had used Sirius’ first name. 

“I’m not?”

“No. We just want to know what happened.” With a glance at the James, Sirius launched into an explanation of everything that had happened. Only Dumbledore was successful in masking his worry. Both McGonagall and Pomfrey looked pale.

“And then Gideon came in to stop them and … now I’m here.” He finished lamely.

“But how did this happen, Albus?” said Madame Pomfrey anxiously. Dumbledore remained silent for a few seconds, piercing blue eyes still fixated on Sirius, who maintained eye contact.

“The suits of armor remain to be one of Hogwarts’ most impressive secrets. Also one of the worst kept secrets, perhaps, but nevertheless impressive. But alas, I had never imagined the danger.” He turned towards Madame Pomfrey. “You see, Poppy. The suits are enchanted with an ancient magic, their sworn duty to protect the school.” He sighed. “The magic is old, my guess as old as Hogwarts itself. And with age, I often find, come naivety. They mistook these two boys as their enemy. When they were first enchanted it would have been an act of disrespect and treachery to steal their sword.” His eyes twinkled. “Now it is simply an act of innocence, if you’ll forgive me, Sirius.” Sirius nodded.

“So… what are we to do?” said McGonagall shakily. “The boys were lucky they weren’t killed, Albus! If it hadn’t been for Miss Evans and Mr Prewett…”

“I think it’s time to remind the knights not to lay a finger on a student ever again.” Said Dumbledore gravely. A noise came from James’ bed. All four turned towards him to find him stirring. Madame Pomfrey hurried over to soothe him. It was clear he was trying to speak, growing more and more alarmed as he realised he couldn’t. Dumbledore and McGonagall took this as their sign to leave. Pausing for a second, McGonagall placed her hand over Sirius’, before following Dumbledore out the Wing. 

****

“You know it’s quite nice to have a bit of peace and quiet.” Said Sirius jovially, tearing the head off a chocolate frog. He was propped up in his hospital bed, leg stretched out in front of him, tucking into the pile of sweets that had been given to him and James by their visitors. Even Regulus had sent a get well soon card of his own making, with a letter attached. James was sitting at the end of Sirius’ bed, furiously writing a retort on his chalkboard, but hurriedly wiped it clean when he saw Madame Pomfrey approaching and gave her his most innocent smile. Even without the ability to talk, James had somehow managed to charm her, although she would never admit it. They had been in the hospital wing three days now and Sirius was secretly enjoying all the attention.

“Here to dote on us, miss?” Maybe not so secretly.

“No, Mr Black. I’m here to discharge you.” James let out a squeal of dismay. “James Potter what have I told you about making that noise!” She snapped bossily at him. 

“But Madame Pomfrey! I can’t leave James alone in here!” He pleaded. “No-one would want that! Surely you realise how much attention James needs! You know you’d never be able to get anything done.” He gave madame Pomfrey his most irresistible puppy dog eyes. He could tell she was about to cave.

“Okay, fine. You may stay the night, but you have to go back to classes tomorrow. That is my final word.” She bustled off. 

At that moment, there was a commotion at the door. Severus Snape came stumbling into the room, nose growing longer by the second. Sirius could tell James was painfully suppressing a laugh. Remus slipped quietly into the room after him, looking quite pleased about something, followed by an excited Peter.

“You’ll never guess what Remus just did!” said Peter enthusiastically, but Remus hushed him with a glance at Madam Pomfrey, though not managing to suppress a smile. Sirius looked from Remus’ hand, which held his wand, to Snape’s overly long nose, which was now about as long as he was tall, forcing him to double over with the weight of it.

“You did not, Remus Lupin” He hissed in disbelief.

“He did! He did!” Squealed Peter. James suddenly started bouncing up and down on Sirius’ bed, seeming to have caught on. “Him and Mulciber were talking about muggles. They were saying some really awful, awful things. And then Remus just – he just,”

“I hexed him!” Remus whispered, swelling with pride.

“What the hell, dude!” croaked James hoarsely. Sirius cuffed him round the head as he usually did whenever James tried to talk, earning himself a reproachful glare.

“If James could talk right now he’d tell you how proud he is of you, and how much he wished he had witnessed this monumental character development moment.” Filled in Sirius. He looked at James, who rolled his hands, insinuating there was more he wanted to say, pointing at Snape. “He also wants to know what in the name of Merlin’s pants did you do to him?”

“I don’t even know!” said Remus. “I was just so angry!” 

Over on the other side of the room, Madame Pomfrey had successfully shrunk Snape’s nose. He glared contemptuously at Remus. “You’ll pay for this.” He spat before sweeping out the room. Remus shrugged, unconcerned.

“He can’t prove it was me.” James was staring at Remus as if he was meeting one of his quidditch heroes. If it was anybody but Remus, Sirius would have felt rather jealous.

***

The hatred that brewed between the Gryffindor boys and Snape bubbled stronger each day, especially after Remus had told Sirius exactly what Snape had said.  
James – after regaining the ability of his voice – seemed to be making up for all the silence of the past week. He talked ten times faster than he usually did, and in a stronger Scottish accent, to the point where sometimes only Sirius could understand him. Remus remained himself, quiet and conscientious, but there was something to him that wasn’t there before – confidence. Sirius still didn’t get on with Peter, however, and often found himself snapping at him. 

One dull and overcast day towards the end of November the four boys were enjoying their breakfast together. James had challenged Sirius to an arm wrestle, in which the winner had been fluctuating for several minutes. Amidst the commotion of the post arriving, Sirius managed to strain James’ arm onto the table, his fist landing in the butter dish. James was challenging him to a rematch when he was hushed by Alex Wood. Looking around, Sirius realised how strangely quiet The Great Hall was. All around him, students were reading their papers with grave expressions on their faces. James hurriedly took his Daily Prophet from his owl and unfolded it. Sirius read the headline upside down.

MUGGLE KILLED IN PURE BLOOD RIOT

Sirius gasped. A pure blood riot? What even was that? He watched James’ face turn more and more disgusted as he read down the page, lips moving soundlessly. When he was finished he shoved the paper at Sirius so he could read. The noise in the Great Hall had risen to anxious whispers, reminding Sirius of the trees in the Forbidden Forrest during a gale. Remus leant over his shoulder to read. 

_Last night, 28th November, a wizard-led demonstration of pure-blood extremists on Scott Street in South East London grew violent, ultimately ending with the death of an innocent muggle police officer (a muggle law enforcer) who was trying to calm the rampaging crowd. The riot seemed to be protesting pure blood supremacy.  
The obliviator squad is working through the night to modify the memories of the hundreds of muggles who witnessed the riot. Ella Pucey, 33 yr old witch, who witnessed the rampage told reporters the crowd was chanting “muggles are mutants” amongst other things.  
The crowd dispersed immediately when the aurors arrived, and no individuals were identified, as all were wearing masks. Minister for Magic Eugenia Jenkins released a statement last night. “The horrific events witnessed on the streets of London tonight have threatened the wizarding statute of secrecy, and will not be tolerated under my reign as minister.”  
The muggle who was killed – identified as Steven Shunpike– was a father to newborn baby boy… ___

__Sirius stopped reading, appalled. He glanced at the staff table, all of whom were solemnly engaged in conversation. Dumbledore was whispering something to McGonagall. Sirius looked again at the picture on the front of the paper, in the corner there was a picture of Steven, his smile still and unmoving as he stared down at his newborn son. The main picture was an arial view of the riot. Suddenly he recognised the street as one a mile or so away from Grimmauld Place. A place he had walked many times if he ever managed to sneak out. He recalled what Reggie had said in his letter – about his parents’ constant meetings with other wizarding families. Abruptly he whipped around and scanned the Slytherin table where Mulciber and Yaxley were both looking smug, along with Narcissa and Lucius. Gulping, he turned back around, with an ominous feeling of shame. Was it possible his parents were at the march? He tightened his grip on his fork. He supposed the real question should be: Was it possible his parents _weren’t _at the march?___ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well. the first whispers of war have begun! Yes, that is Stan Shunpike's Dad, and the baby is little Stan.
> 
> I made a spotify playlist of all the chapter title songs! [ my spotify also has playlists for lily, james, sirius and remus. Hope you enjoyed today's chapter!](/users/https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3nBWlNRTzkh2krIAufMR8d?si=mVf17mx-SkClJkJd_HygIA)


	12. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Lily

Talk of the headline on The Daily Prophet hardly lasted a day- by Monday morning, topics of conversation had returned to normal for most students. Lily felt trapped within her own mind. She wasn’t the only one. Most of the muggleborn student body seemed more affected by the event than most other people. 

Mary and Lily found themselves on a walk alone together during Monday lunchtime, neither of them hungry. “It’s barbaric.” Said Lily quietly. Mary nodded her head, fiddling with the colourful hair clips she always wore. “I just don’t see why pure bloods think themselves any better than people like us. I mean, even the word ‘pure blood’ is messed up!”

Mary stayed quiet for a few seconds, her posture rigid, then burst out with frustration. “I wish someone had told us it would be different for us!” Lily considered this. She still remembered the look on Severus’ face when she had questioned him about life as a muggleborn. He had lied to her that day. “I just feel like muggleborns,” continued Mary, and Lily was surprised to hear the emotion in her voice. “We have to constantly, constantly prove ourselves to everybody else.”

“It’s always; ‘you’re good at potions…for a muggle born.’ Or ‘I didn’t expect a muggleborn to understand.’” Agreed Lily.

Mary tugged on her hair dejectedly. “I guess I just expected witches and wizards would be different than muggles. Like Hogwarts would be this wonderland where nothing ever went wrong. Now I realise that they’re no better than muggles.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know the song Old MacDonald?” Lily nodded her head, remembering how her primary school teacher would get each class to sing different animals in their assembly.

“These girls in my class – I suppose they were my friends – they used to sing it to tease me because I live on a farm, and my surname. It sounds ridiculous now, how that was the worst it was. I sometimes think how I’d rather be back enduring a silly song than being called a, a mudblood.” 

It was true. It had taken a mere few months for Lily to realise that the only thing separating muggles and wizards was a wand. There are bullies in the wizarding world too, and although some think that carrying a stick makes them worth anything more than muggles, they were wrong. 

“But that wouldn’t have stopped you coming to Hogwarts, right?” Lily looked at Mary, who faltered. But before she could answer, a cannonball of black fur hurtled towards them, knocking Lily over in a tangle of furry limbs.

“OY! BETSIE YOU COME BACK ‘ERE.” Hagrid hurried over, apologising repeatedly until he noticed Lily’s laughter. She assured him truthfully that she loved all animals.

At this, Hagrid seemed to swell impossibly with excitement. “Well, if that’s true then you best follow me!” Intrigued, Lily and Mary hurried after him, taking huge strides in order to keep up. When they reached his hut, he put a huge finger to his lips and edged open the door, beckoning Lily and Mary to follow. Mary tugged on Lily’s sleeve, but Lily ignored her and stepped into the hut. Hagrid was bent over the fireplace, obscuring something Lily couldn’t quite see.

“Easy, easy,” cooed Hagrid. Lily tiptoed closer. Peering around his side, she let out a gasp of delight. Curled up on a rug was the most beautiful, intrinsic creature Lily had ever seen. It’s golden fur seemed to glow in the dim firelight, the flames casting dancing shadows across its back.

“Oh Hagrid! What is it?” whispered Lily, sinking to the floor beside it.

“She’s a baby unicorn. A very sick one mind you. See how dull her mane is?” Lily didn’t think it dull at all, as far as she could tell the unicorn was flawless. Lily reached out a hand to soothe her and felt her shuddering beneath her touch. She whimpered; a sound of such melancholic beauty Lily felt as if it had been made by an orchestra.

“Is it going to die?” asked Mary nervously.

“Not with any luck. ‘Ere, you can ‘elp me feed her.” Lily watched the tender way Hagrid handled the unicorn, which juxtaposed so greatly with what his appearance would lead you to expect. She supposed even she was guilty of prejudice sometimes.

While Mary was spoon feeding the unicorn, Lily had a look around Hagrid’s hut, still listening to Hagrid gushing about magical creatures. She found herself oddly comforted by the oversized feel of it and clambered into a huge patchwork armchair. It was so big that her legs were stretched out in front of her, making her giggle. At the sound of her laughter the unicorn raised its head meekly. 

“Now would yer look at tha’,” said Hagrid tearfully, “She likes you.” Lily smiled ecstatically. It was then she noticed she was sitting on something. With somewhat difficulty she extracted it from beneath her, uncovering the softest dressing gown Lily had ever touched. Strangely, it was a regular size. 

“Hagrid, who’s is this?” she asked him, gesturing to the gown. 

“Wha’? Oh tha’. I got it for the unicorn to keep ‘er warm, made from ‘ippogriff fur that they shed in the summer, see, but she don’t like it. You have it if yer like. Not as if it will fit me!” He chuckled, adjusting the logs on the fire. Lily looked down at the dressing gown, noticing as she did so that it was the exact shade of a Petunia flower. She stroked the soft material sadly, wondering what she could do to get Petunia to at least write to her back, and as she did so, an idea formed in her head.

***

Once back in the dormitory, Lily left it to Mary to tell the others about the unicorn, and instead set to work on her idea.

“What are you doing?” said Tatty curiously. Lily - after finally managing transfigure a match into a workable needle - was sat cross-legged on her bed, dressing gown in her lap. With the delicacy she had been taught by her mother, she was carefully embroidering intricate flowers into the cuff. Petunias entwined with Lilies and Daisies.

“Just making my sister’s Christmas present.” Answered Lily absentmindedly, still focusing on a daisy petal. “Petunia’s for my sister, Daisies for my mum, and Lilies for, well, me.” Tatty nodded understandingly, tracing her finger along the flowers.

“Dad not around?” 

“No?” Lily looked up, confused.

“Oh – Oh I’m sorry, I just thought since he doesn’t have a flower, but I guess he doesn’t have a flower name.” Tatty gushed, flustered.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m not offended or anything.” Reassured Lily. Tatty still looked sheepish, so Lily pressed on gently. “Is your Dad not around?” 

Tatty nodded. “Left when I was a baby.” she said slowly, over pronouncing each word. Her voice didn’t sound sad, but in comparison to the usual way her words tumbled from her mouth, Lily could tell it was a sensitive subject.

“You don’t mean to say your mum raised you and all your siblings by herself?” asked Lily, realisation hitting her. 

“Hell yeah she did!” said Tatty proudly, perking up immediately. “Six children under the age of ten, can you imagine? And we weren’t exactly easy on her! Ronan – he’s the eldest – was probably the best behaved. He’s right sensible, only one of us who wasn’t in Gryffindor, got a job at the ministry now. Then there’s my sister, Ffion, she’s a bit of a rebel, always playing pranks on the rest of us, she’s at home with Mam while she finds her feet. Eoin – he’s the one in 6th year – once tried sneaking into Nocturne Alley with Niall and Seamus. You know Niall and Seamus, 4th and 3rd year, but could be twins. They’re the loudest ones in the common room. And you can imagine what a handful I’D be to bring up! But she’s a real tough one, my Mam. Blimey Lily, you’ve almost finished that cuff!” Finished Tatty, out of breath.

“Hardly!” Laughed Lily, who had only done half a dozen flowers. “Maybe if my hands moved at the same speed as you spoke I’d be done!” Tatty stuck her tongue out at Lily.

***

The next morning Lily was rudely awoken by Tatty jumping on her bed.  
“EVERYBODY GET YOUR ASSES UP! IT’S SNOWED!” she cried gleefully. All four of the slumbering girls stumbled over to the window, rubbing sleep from their eyes. It was a mesmerising sight, as if someone had poured a generous dusting of icing sugar across the whole grounds. Lily watched as the tree Dumbledore had warned them to stay away from – the Whomping Willow – shook snow from its branches, showering a passing Hagrid so it clung to his beard. Even from such a distance, Lily could see he resembled Father Christmas. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Shouted Marlene, who could wake up completely in mere seconds. “Get dressed! Let’s get out there!” 

Five minutes and two Tatty clothing mishaps later, the girls were hurrying down the staircase. They almost collided with James and Sirius who were waiting in the common room, bundled up in as many layers as possible so Lily was reminded of the Spacesuit that Neil Armstrong had worn on the moon. At the sight of them Ananja remembered she had forgotten to brush her hair, and ran back upstairs, asking them to wait.

“Morning ladies!” said Sirius jovially, pretending to flex his muscles under his five jumpers, which made Mary and Tatty giggle.

“Peter Pettigrew you go upstairs and put on more layers right now.” Commanded James to a sleepy Peter, who had just appeared at the bottom of the stairs. 

“You don’t think they’ll cancel the quidditch match do you?” Sirius asked, peering out the window at the still falling snow.

“You can’t cancel quidditch,” said James, unconcerned. “We just gotta get some snow action in before the game that’s all. Ah, here they are!” Remus and Peter had come trudging down the steps, Peter looking rosy, Remus looking pale. “Let’s go lads! We really need to think of a name for ourselves, lads just doesn’t quite…” his voice trailed off as he ducked through the portrait hole just as Ananja appeared at the bottom of the stairs, hair in a neat ponytail.

“Come on, lets beat them to the grounds.” Incited Marlene, grabbing Lily and Tatty by the hand and pursuing the four boys, sticking her tongue out at Sirius as they hurtled past. Once they had realised what the girls were trying to do, they were hot on their tails. They bound through the corridors, screaming with the drama of the race. Just as Lily thought they had shook them off, James slid right past her, zooming down the banister. She aimed her wand at him and muttered an incantation for a charm she had been practising.  
“Waddiwasi!” The wand that had been in James hand shot straight up his nose, causing him to halt long enough for Lily to gain on him. They burst through the Front Door simultaneously, swiftly followed by Marlene and Sirius. 

“HA!” Said James triumphantly, pointing at Lily. “Beat you!” 

“WHAT?” cried Lily, stomping her foot. “I CLEARLY beat you!” 

“Even if that was true, you seem to be forgetting you’re disqualified!” He retorted, gesturing to his wand. “Foul piece of cheating!”

“Was a good hex though.” butted in Sirius, earning a look of incredulity from James.

“It was never specified use of wands was not allowed when we started,” snapped Marlene. 

“You even had a headstart!” said James and Lily to each other simultaneously, staring at each other in disbelief.

“Look I know how to settle this!” chimed in Sirius authoritatively, as the pair began arguing which team had the biggest advantage. “First team to get ALL their players through the doors, girls have to get one more than boys as result of Lily’s groovy but illegal hex. Deal?”

“Deal.” Replied Lily and Marlene in the affirmative just as Tatty came tumbling through the doors, panting. She was closely followed by Ananja, looking pleased she had beaten Peter, who looked as if he was about to combust, tearing off his scarf and hat and collapsing face first in the snow. He seemed to be steaming. The others gathered outside the entrance, waiting impatiently for Remus and Mary to appear. After a painful few minutes, they arrived at the top of the stairs, walking at a leisurely pace, looking bamboozled at their crowd of friends who were screeching at them to hurry up. When they reached the door, Remus put out his hand to offer Mary to go first.

“After you,” he said politely. And the girls threw snow in the air in celebration.

James whined in agony. “Merlin’s BEARD Remus, there is a time and place for being a gentleman!” 

Just as james had predicted, the quidditch match was not cancelled. But it did only last half an hour, Lucius Malfoy out catching the Ravenclaw seeker. Lily was kind of glad, she was excited to play in the snow for the rest of the day.

“We should go and – OUCH” Lily whirled around in the jostling crowd to see who had hit her with the snowball. A tall second year who Lily knew was one of Dorcas and Callum’s friends by the name of Jason Thomas was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Um sorry! I was aiming for someone else!” he apologised. Coolly, Lily bent down and scooped up a generous handful of snow. Maintaining eye contact with Jason the entire time, she moulded the snow into a ball. She took aim and fired, it hit him right in the face.  
Then – she didn’t even know how it had happened – the whole crowd was participating in a vicious snowball fight. Lily didn’t even know who she was aiming for; anyone would do. Marlene threw exclusively at Slytherins. Behind her, Sirius Black dropped an entire armful over James Potter’s head. She decided to add to his discomfort by chucking a couple of snowballs in his direction. Satisfied she had tormented James enough today, she grabbed the back of Alice Longbottom’s robes and shoved a handful of snow done her neck. 

“Lily you MENACE!” She screamed in shock and started to chase after Lily, laughing manically.

After almost half an hour of intense battle, the students began to tire. The ground had been stampeded so much they had to scavenge for loose snow with numb fingers. Lily didn’t blame Remus Lupin for slipping away unnoticed toward the castle. Deciding she had had enough, she head in the direction of Hagrid’s hut, dodging JJ who was carrying his friend Edmund Weasley on his shoulders so he was able to hit unsuspecting people.

Hagrid answered the door eagerly and welcomed her in. Lily was overjoyed to see the unicorn raise its head when she entered.

“She’s doing better then?” she asked, flopping down next to her, stripping off her sodden hat and scarf.

“Lots! Professor Slughorn brewed me a potion to bring down her fever!” He slipped his hand into one of his many bottles and drew out a tiny bottle. “Now, I’ll put some ‘ot chocolate on, and yer can tell me about yer day. How about tha’?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just something about the marauders in the snow...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback always welcome :)


	13. Tonight's the Kind of Night

Sirius  
2nd December 1971

“But where does he GO?” muttered Sirius for the umpteenth time, stirring his cauldron a little too vigorously. They were in potions; Remus’ stool was empty yet again. Frustratingly, Remus had disappeared at some point during the snowball fight the previous afternoon. Despite having promised Sirius to go sledging, and then he had disappeared without even an explanation. Sirius couldn’t help feeling slightly resentful towards him now. 

“I don’t know, mate.” Answered James, putting a hand on Sirius’ to steady his stirring. James’ own potion was the exact shade of lilac that the instructions suggested it should look like at this point. James was just as exceptional at potions as he was at transfiguration, something which excited Slughorn very much, James being the son of Fleamont Potter. “I was thinking though, we never did find out where he had gone last time, did we?” James continued, adding ginger roots to Sirius’ potion in an effort to save it. Sirius didn’t think there was much hope. His potion resembled the colour and texture of snot. He didn’t much care though – he had more pressing matters on hand.

“Yeah, you’re right! We were a bit busy…”

“Being attacked.” Finished James.

“Exactly. And he definitely wasn’t in the hospital wing, but he was gone for six days. What are you looking at?” He snarled at Yaxley, who was watching their conversation with interest. 

“Hang on a minute, have we ever actually seen him in the hospital wing?” said James, lowering his voice slightly. Sirius paused to reflect on this. No, they hadn’t.

“Are you saying maybe he isn’t ill at all?”

“It’s a possibility… But the time before that was when he collapsed, remember?” said James. “And he definitely looked ill the time before that.” 

“But last time? We checked the hospital wing, and he undeniably wasn’t there.”

“And times up!” announced Slughorn from the front of the room. “Please fill up a vial of your Warming potion and bring it to me. Why, Miss Evans! This is flawless! In fact, so flawless that you may keep a vile of it yourself. I daresay it will come in useful if this snow hangs around! And what have you got here, Mr Potter! You may keep a vial as well.” Slughorn bustled off to tut over Tatty’s potion.

“We’ll just have to ask him when he comes back. Maybe he’s in St Mungoes or something!” said James gravely, stoppering his bottle. “Peter! What happened?” Peter’s potion had solidified nastily. He looked thoroughly dishevelled. 

“I’m hopeless at potions!” He wailed miserably. Neither James or Sirius had any words of comfort for him, especially when Snape walked past smugly, sneering at the sight of Peter’s cauldron, which was emitting a foul smell throughout the dungeon. 

“Trying to invent a poison for Potter and Black are you, Pettigrew?” He snivelled, wiping snot running from his nose. It took as if he had caught a cold from all the snow. Before James or Sirius could intervene, Peter puffed out his chest and grew to his full height. 

“The only person in this room I’d want to poison is you, Snivelous,” He said boldly. The four boys stood in stunned silence for a few seconds. Then Snape scuffled over to Slughorn’s desk, embarrassed.

“That was…” began James, turning towards Peter.

“BRILLIANT!” interjected Sirius. Peter blinked at him in surprise. Sirius had never given any compliments to Peter, or even implied he liked him. “SNIVELOUS! That is GENIUS Peter!” They handed in their potions and followed their classmates out of the classroom, Peter grinning ear to ear. 

***

When Sirius pulled on his pyjamas that night, he looked over at Remus’ bed. The question of where on earth he could be plagued him at random times throughout the day.

“INCOMING!” yelled James. Sirius turned just in time to be thwacked in the face by a pillow. Shaking away the stars that were clouding his vision, he grabbed his own pillow, but before he could retaliate, he received another blow from Peter. He lashed out and managed to hit James in the stomach, who was almost knocked off balance. The three boys disappeared in a flurry of feathers, ferociously attacking one another.  
In a stroke of what he clearly though was brilliance, James leapt up onto his bed to slamdunk Peter. However, he seemed to have forgotten it was a four poster, for he jumped so high his head collided with the top of the bed, and crumpled to the floor. Only when he didn’t stir did Sirius and Peter stop gafawing. 

“James?” said Sirius nervously, bending down to look at him. “Bloody hell Peter he knocked himself out!” Peter checked his pulse while Sirius shook James’ shoulders.

“JAMES! JAAAAMES!” Sirius shook him frantically until he noticed James sniggering.

“Oh my god, Madame Pomfrey was right,” laughed James, sitting up and rubbing his forehead, where a lump was growing. “You ARE dramatic!”

“You PRAT James Potter! You absolute PRAT!” shouted Sirius, whacking James with his pillow. 

“OI! Firsties!” Callum McKinnon was standing in the doorway in striped Gryffindor pajamas that were a little too big for him. He looked as if he had just got out of bed. “Will you PLEASE shut up! Do you realise what time it is?” he said groggily, his Scottish accent more prominent with his anger. James threw some feathers at him, which just fluttered lamely to his own feet. 

“Sorry Callum!” said Sirius, starting to bow profusely. Immediately, James and Peter joined him, giggling and hailing Callum’s feet, who huffed in annoyance and pointed his wands at the lamps - which blew out immediately – slamming the door behind him. The dormitory was plunged into immediate darkness. 

“Sirius? Peter?”

“SOMETHING JUST TOUCHED MY FOOT!”

“That was me you plonker.” Eventually the boys managed to find each other. 

“Lumos.” James whispered, casting a powerful beam of light right into Sirius’ eye.

“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” asked Sirius, fumbling around for his own wand.

“Forgot I was holding my wand.” Shrugged James, gingerly touching the lump on his head again, which was now the size of a phoenix egg.

Since it really was quite late, the boys got into bed despite not feeling tired at all. Sirius tossed and turned, trying to will himself to sleep. He could tell the others were still awake from the sound of their breathing.

“James?” He said. “Why do you wear glasses?” James froze in the process of reaching for his glasses, and squinted over at Sirius.

“Um, dude? I’m blind?”

“Well, yeah obviously.” Replied Sirius, rolling his eyes. “But like, why hasn’t a wizard worked out a way to fix them?”

“Or a witch!” piped up Peter.

“Yeah, or a witch you sexist little berk!” said James, throwing his glasses in the air and trying to catch them, with varying results.

“Okay, whatever. My point is, magic can fix cuts, it can regrow limbs and bones, but why not eyes!?” Said Sirius, tracing the scar on his leg. The room pondered this for a bit.

“Maybe no one is willing to experiment, I mean those are your EYES you’re risking!” said James.

“We should volunteer you, J-Dawg!” said Sirius in mock excitement.

“No thanks, I’m out.”

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that Sirius just called James, ‘J-dawg’?” laughed Peter.

“Pipe down P-brainz.” They carried on laughing and teasing each other for another half hour. Peter dozed off a few times but was woken in alarm by a flying sock or a slipper, expertly aimed by the dormitory’s resident chaser, James.

Eventually, the conversation died out. Yet still, Sirius was wide awake. From where his bed was he could see the moon through the window. It was just past full. He slipped out from beneath his duvet and padded across the dorm to the window seat, just as Peter began to snore.

“What are you doing?” whispered James, sounding just as awake as Sirius, despite the feint gonging of bells that told them it was 2 am. Sirius didn’t answer, merely looked at the way the moonlight was reflected on the surface of the lake, so that it looked like silvery milk. 

“Wanna build a fort?” said James from right behind him. He was clutching his duvet around him like a cloak, the lump on his head still prominent.

“Isn’t building a fort a bit childish?” said Sirius. James raised his eyebrows. “Of course I want to, who do you take me for?” Grinned Sirius, hurrying to rip the sheets off Remus’ bed.

“What, it’s not like he’s here to use them!” He shrugged at James before beginning to assemble their den. 

***

“I can’t believe you set it on fire!” Said Sirius disbelievingly an hour later, staring at the smouldering duvet. James had insisted the den needed a floating ball of light inside, and after assuring Sirius he knew how to do it, he had managed to light a small blaze. Luckily Sirius had grabbed the jug of water and extinguished the fire almost immediately, but the acrid smell of burned material hug in the air.

“I can smell toast.” Muttered Peter sleepily.

“James made some, go back to sleep.” Whispered Sirius back. Peter rolled over and began to snore again. James stifled a yawn and smiled lopsidedly at Sirius.

“We should probably get to sleep,” he said, yawning again.

“Probably.” But the two boys stayed in the middle of the room, swaying slightly with exhaustion. 

“Or we could try and see how many objects we can stack on Peter before he wakes up?” offered James.

“I’ll do you one better James Potter – we can see how many objects we can stack on Callum McKinnon before he wakes up.” Replied Sirius, a glint in his eye. James took a step forward, then seemed to remember how much smaller he was than Sirius and raised to tiptoes.

“I’ll do YOU one better Sirius Black – we can see how many objects we can stack on AMOS DIGGORY!” Said James triumphantly. Sirius knew he had dealt the final card. 

“Grab your stuff.”

Without his hair potion Amos Diggory’s hair was wildly untamed. James waved a hand in front of his face.

“I’m checking he’s asleep!” whispered James at Sirius’ confused look.

“He’s got his eyes closed you moron. He wouldn’t see even if he was awake.” Hissed Sirius. 

James pulled a face at him before delicately placing his History of Magic across Amos’ stomach. Sirius added both his transfiguration book and his charms. Amos took a sudden intake of breath which made James freeze in the act of adding his Gryffindor scarf, but he just sighed slightly and began sucking his thumb.  
Biting back a bark of laughter, Sirius balanced Amos’ hair potion on the pile, but catching sight of James in a fit of silent laughter, he had to bend double to resist the temptation to laugh. He knew James wouldn’t be able to stay quiet for long, and sure enough, an eruption of laughter exploded from him. James clapped a hand to his mouth, but Amos had already jolted awake, the tower of possessions raining down upon him. Sirius and James tore out the room, cackling with laughter. He’d find out soon enough who the culprits were, just as soon as he checked the names in the front of the books. But for now, they were safe. They burst into their dormitory, hurriedly shutting the door behind them, and leapt into bed, the early morning light already caressing their tear-stricken faces. 

Peter was alarmed to discover the singed fort when he woke in the morning, seeming to think his dreams of toast had somehow caused the fire. Sirius managed to mumble an explanation, before dragging James out of bed and stumbling down to the Great Hall. Not even the usual smell of crispy bacon and eggs helped wake Sirius up. He had hardly poured himself his usual pumpkin juice when the table shook with the force of a pile of books being slammed onto the table. Sirius looked up in alarm to see who it was and sniggered right into the contorted face of Amos Diggory.

“Something really funny happened,” He said comtemptiously. “Something reeeeally funny.”  
James was trying and failing to hide his laughter.

“Why whatever happened, Mr Head Boy?” said Sirius amicably, with a look of innocence artfully fused with cheek. Amos blew a piece of hair out of his eye.

“I believe these,” he gestured to the books, “belong to you two.”

“Aww James! Mr Head Boy found our books!” said Sirius, still feigning innocence. He knew James couldn’t contain himself much longer and was waiting for the mad screech of birdlike laughter that usually escaped him at times like this. 

“200 lines each.” Snapped Amos angrily. “Write out ‘I will show respect -”

“If you say ‘elders’, I will throw up,” cut in Sirius. Amos hesitated.  
“to everybody. By tonight.” He finished. Sirius began sucking his thumb at him, and he stormed away. James finally was able to release his laughter.

Somehow, the two boys managed to get through the day. This was mainly due to the fact they immediately fell asleep in History of Magic, safe with the knowledge that Professor Binns would notice. Sirius didn’t feel like he’d miss much – he could never focus in class at the best of times, but once Professor Binns had started talking it was a lost cause.

James also accidentally slipped off In Defence Against the Dark Arts at the end of the day, his cheek smearing the drying ink on his parchment. Professor Montgomery – their old but capable DADA teacher drew the entire class’ attention to him and told them to watch carefully as he pointed his wand at James. For a moment nothing happened, then James was jolted awake, leaping from his chair in alarm and brushing something Sirius couldn’t see from his arms and legs. He laughed good naturedly along with the class, not realising they were laughing at his ink smeared face, which paired with the egg on his forehead was quite spectacularly comical. Montgomery explained he had used a complicated but useful magic that had given James the sensation like there were spiders crawling all over him, a very useful piece of magic to use.

Without even needing to discuss it, James and Sirius hung back at the end of the class. Frail Professor Montgomery turned around to find them both eagerly standing there.

“Yes?” He said with a raised eyebrow.

“How did you do that?” They said in unison.

“What exactly are you referring to?” He answered shakily, sitting down on his chair, but still with a smile. Sirius privately wondered exactly how old he was.

“The spidery thing!” Said James, hopping up onto the professor’s desk. Montgomery looked at him for a few seconds then laughed gently. 

“Ah, you a referring to somnium! Creates a powerful illusion or sensation in another’s mind. Well boys I’m afraid that spell is far beyond the limitations of a first year, it’s not even taught at NEWT level! I would focus your energies elsewhere…” He trailed off, cleaning the board with a flick of his wand.

“But then where did you learn, sir?” quizzed Sirius determinedly. The Professor paused.

“Ah – I learned in The Academy.” He said, a twinkle in his eye. Sirius and James looked at each other.  
“The Academy?” Said James. Sirius was glad to hear the confusion in his voice too.

“Yes. Maybe if I said Kartikeya, that may ring a bell?” 

James slipped off the desk and began jumping up and down. “KARTIKEYA?” He shouted ecstatically. “KARTIKEYA? YOU WENT TO KARTIKEYA ACADEMY?” Montgomery nodded happily. 

“I’m sorry – I’m confused? What’s Kartikeya Academy?” said Sirius. James looked at him in disbelief, but Montgomery simply chuckled and pointed his wand at the door. They heard a thump and a yell from the corridor, and seconds later a heavy book was flying towards them.

“Sorry!” called Montgomery vaguely at the door, past which Paddy McGlaggen, the Hufflepuff keeper, was walking by rubbing his head.

“Nice one, sir!” said James. “Take out the competition!” Sirius looked at the book the Professor had summoned, and realised it was a photo album. The front was emblazoned in gold with two intricate wands in a cross. The wizarding symbol of duelling.

“Kartikeya Academy,” began Professor Montgomery, tracing the wands with his finger. “Was a Duelling Academy, based in the States.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t just that, was it sir!” interrupted James. “It was the most prestigious in the world! Only the elitist of the elite got in!” He was looking at Montgomery with awe.

“I suppose it was,” said Montgomery proudly. “We were trained for prestigious contests at international level, see look here.” He flipped open the album and pointed at an aged photo of a group of boys. Sirius leaned in. The boys were all proudly clutching trophies, cheering at the camera. Montgomery was pointing at one of the boy, who was sopping wet. With a startle, Sirius recognised him as the same man that was sitting right in front of him.

“Sir, you look so young!” said James, and then flushed. “I mean – erm,”

“I certainly do!” chuckled the old man. “I haven’t had muscles like that in years, my boy.”  
“Hang on…” Said James, a sudden look of dawning on his face. “Were you – were you The Manipulator?” When Montgomery nodded, James lost his mind. He jumped onto the desk and hopped up and down from foot to foot. “NO WAY! NOW WAY! I’VE READ ABOUT YOU!”

“What’s The Manipulator?” said Sirius, annoyed James knew more than him.

“It was a sort of duelling name. If we had a specialty, we’d usually be given a nickname from the spectators and the media.”

“Like in quidditch?” said Sirius, thinking of The Rock, an unbelievably strong beater who played for Wimborne Wasps.

“Exactly like in Quidditch, my boy,” nodded Montgomery, turning the pages of his album absentmindedly. “Yes, I was known as The Manipulator because of the way I could twist the minds of my opponents.”

“But why are you teaching here, sir!” said James, still astonished.

“Well, do you reckon I’d be in any state to duel now?” he laughed, waving a hand across aged body. “I’ve been retired for years now. I came out of retirement as a favour to Dumbledore, but I have rather enjoyed myself.” He turned suddenly stern. “I must ask you two boys, to keep my little secret to yourself, yes?” Sirius and James nodded fervently and took this as their dismissal.

“I need to write and tell Dad! He was the one who told me about Kartikeya!” said James breathlessly on their way to dinner.

James remained in a permanent state of excitement. He even deliberately got himself put in detention by Montgomery the next day (he levitated Sirius’ chair about 6 foot in the air in clear sight of Montgomery) just so he was able to question Montgomery further. Sirius had to admit it was extremely cool. They had both kept their promise of keeping it a secret – they were awfully good at keeping secrets it seemed – although had confided in Peter and planned to with Remus once he came back. James had been outraged when he got his reply from his Dad.

“I don’t BELIEVE it!” cried James when he had finished scanning the letter on Thursday morning. “He KNEW! He knew who Montgomery was and he didn’t tell me! He says he’s surprised it took me this long to figure it out.” James looked sulky. Sirius couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

That evening, they returned to Gryffindor tower straight after dinner and went straight to their dormitory. As usual, Sirius found himself hoping half-heartedly to find Remus waiting for them on his bed. This time, however, he wasn’t disappointed.

“REMUS!” He roared, running up to Remus, ready to jump on him, before falling short and remembering he was usually very frail whenever he came back. Remus smiled meekly while Sirius observed him carefully. He looked like he usually did – pale and anxious – but Sirius noticed a gash on his lip. He felt himself reach out to touch it, but hastily directed his hand towards his own hair.

“Where were you?” interrogated James. Remus’ face pinched.

“I – nowhere.” He breathed, almost inaudibly. Peter had slipped unnoticed onto his bed, not wanting to join the investigation.

“Come on, Remus. We know you weren’t in the hospital wing. So, where were you?” Pressed James heatedly. Remus looked like he was on the verge of tears.

“We thought you might have gone home?” inquired Sirius, a lot more kindly, taking a seat next to his friend so he was close enough to feel him shake. It agonised him that Remus was so scared of them. Remus turned to look at Sirius. The tears in his eyes brought out the amber flecks in the irises.

“Home?” He repeated.

“Yeah.” Said James hurriedly, taking Remus’ other side.

“Yes. I went home.” Said Remus, seeming defeated. Sirius and James exchanged glances. 

“Why?” prompted Sirius. “Did, did someone die?”

“SIRIUS!” hissed James. Remus had crumpled, his head in his hands. Sirius was horrified as Remus slowly nodded.

“Who – Are your Mum and Dad okay?” said James uncertainly. Remus nodded again. He raised his head slowly. Sirius got the feeling he was deeply, maddingly angry at himself.

“My auntie.” He whispered. There was a silence. “I just went home for the funeral.” There was another silence where James awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. 

“How did she die?” asked Peter from his bed.

“She’d been ill for a while,” Remus hesitated, clearly deciding whether to tell them something. “I was visiting her last time.” That certainly explained his other unexplained disappearance. 

James suddenly realised he was meant to be in detention, gave Remus an empathetic look, and rushed out the room. 

A few seconds later, Sirius realised it was just him and Remus alone, Peter having followed James out.

“What did James get detention for?” said Remus in a voice which clearly stressed that he didn’t want to talk about his auntie.

“Got it on purpose the stupid git.” He explained James’ current obsession with Professor Montgomery. He knew James would be annoyed when he found out Sirius had told Remus without him, but Remus needed a distraction right now. Remus giggled when Sirius did an imitation of James finding out the professor was The Manipulator.  
When James returned an hour later, Remus patiently listened to James retelling the story without disclosing the fact he had just heard it from Sirius. 

That night, Sirius deliberately kept himself awake, listening out for a sound to indicate Remus was crying. However, not even a sniff came from the bed next to Sirius’. Yet neither did the sound of heavy, peaceful breathing, which told him that Remus was also lying awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three chapters in one week?  
> Thank you for reading <3


	14. Homeward bound

“Lily, put the gownie away for one second, will you?” Begged Marlene, who was trying to get someone to play a game of chess with her, without much success. Ananja was plaiting Mary’s hair for her, so it would be wavy tomorrow, and Tatty – notoriously the messy one in the dormitory – was attempting to sort through her tragically untidy section of the room. They had one school day left before they broke up for the Christmas Holidays. Lily could hardly fathom the fact she was actually going home. In just a couple of days she’d be reunited with her parents, and her cat, and… Petunia. Lily redoubled her efforts on the dressing gown.

“Marlene, I’m sorry but I can’t. I have to finish embroidering this before I go home.” She apologised.

“So? Do it on the train home! Give you something to do!” 

Lily thought about this. She supposed Marlene was right. Besides, she really had been wanting to get better at wizard’s chess – she always mixed up the square numbers.

“You guys should pack!” chided Mary, who had already been packed for days. Marlene shrugged and left the room to find her chess set, and Lily followed her. She always had been one to leave things to the last minute.

“Knight to E4.” Said Lily, ten minutes into their game. “You excited about going back home Marlene?”

“You trying to distract me, Evans?” Said Marlene playfully. It was hard to believe that Marlene had ever argued with Lily. The pair were now firm friends.

“No. But is it working?” Said Lily hopefully. 

“No. Bishop to E4.” Said Marlene. Lily watched with dismay as her knight was smashed by Marlene’s bishop. “But yeah, I guess. I think my Dad is lonely. He’s only got Crissy for company. And the horses.” The McKinnons had gained their fortune centuries ago from horse racing and breeding. Horses of the magical kind, of course. They still owned the biggest magical stables in the world.

“Who’s Crissy? Castle to D6, wait no - I mean C6.”

Marlene looked up at her in surprise. “She’s my little sister.”

“You’ve got a sister?” Lily was surprised to hear this. “How old is she?”

“Four. Check.” Lily imagined a younger version of Marlene, roaming about through some stables. She suddenly realised with a heart wrench that this child would hardly remember her mum. She moved her King, and Marlene ordered her knight elsewhere.

“Checkmate!” Said Marlene triumphantly, and thoughts of young Crissy were driven out of Lily’s mind as she looked down at the chessboard in defeat.

***

Their teachers seemed to have decided on a day of Christmas themed fun for their final day of term.   
Professor Flitwick had them help him decorate the Fir Trees in the Great Hall with twinkling baubles. Having mastered the levitation charm so well she hardly needed to concentrate, Lily was able to observe Flitwick and a group of 6th years enchant the rest of the hall. She watched as Kingsley made strings of silvery light drape the trees, and Jacob Jordan tried to convince Flitwick to turn the Entrance Hall into an ice rink, who was busy creating ice embellishments at the end of each table. Lily thought she saw James and Sirius exchange excited glances when the ice rink was mentioned, but had seen the way JJ had winked at Edmund Weasley, and knew they were about to get an exciting send-off. The way the Great Hall turned out made Lily half-wish she was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas.

Defence against the arts was spent practising disarming each other to jaunty Christmas tunes, which Potter and Black sang louder than anyone. Lily had noticed that they practically worshipped Montgomery. She much preferred McGonagall, who, as expected, was a little more reluctant to let her class relax, but she did at least set them a Christmas task of transfiguring plain, ordinary baubles into any elaborate ones of their imagination. Lily thought this would be a perfect present for her parents.

Finally, in potions, they had to brew a pompion potion, Slughorn insisting this was a fun way to end the term. Although, as Marlene pointed out, this probably would have been more apt for Halloween time, seeing as the potion would turn the drinker’s head into a pumpkin. Seeing as it was their first time brewing the potion, they were allowed to work in pairs. Severus set about crushing the flitterby wings while Lily set up their cauldron. They worked well as a team, in Lily’s opinion. Lily usually chatted away about anything that came to mind, while Severus listened contently and made sure she stayed on track with the potions. This time the conversation turned to the Christmas holidays. 

“I’ll see you way more when we’re at home!” Said Lily happily, scraping the last of the ground Bouncing Bulb into the cauldron, and beginning to stir it.

“It’s anti-clockwise Lily!” reminded Severus, and she hurriedly changed the direction of her stirring. “And no, you won’t. I’m not going home.”

“What? Why?” 

“Don’t want to.” Shrugged Severus, determinedly avoiding Lily’s eyes. He stooped over his foxgloves. 

“Won’t you be lonely?”

“No. Mulciber and Yaxley are staying as well.” Lily glanced disapprovingly to the other side of the dungeon, where Mulciber was muttering abuse at Yaxley for messing up his potion.

“I wish you wouldn’t hang around with-” 

“I think you actually improved the potion by stirring it the wrong way, Lily.” Interrupted Severus pointedly. He was right, the potion was the exact shade of orange pictured in the textbook. Severus bent over his copy and scribbled a note in the side.

It didn’t come as a surprise to Lily when she walked into the entrance hall she found it to be in chaos. Students all around were slipping on the floor which had not-so-mysteriously turned to ice. Lily distinctly saw Dorcas try to pirouette, ending up taking out at least 5 fourth year Hufflepuffs in the process, almost inducing Callum McKinnon and Jacob Jordan to tears. Frank Longbottom slid past on his stomach and crashed straight into tiny Professor Flitwick, who was taking his time in vanishing the ice, seeming to be enjoying himself. Lily went ice skating with her family every year, attempting all sorts of tricks with her Dad while Tunie and her mum clung to the sides. As Marlene pulled her out onto the ice, she wondered whether they would get to go this year.

Only when Professor McGonagall came striding into the Entrance Hall did Flitwick stop sliding down the icy steps which had been charmed into a slide, and vanish the ice hurriedly, pretending to look stern. Lily distinctly saw him wink at JJ and Edmund, who were taking over the top, flourishing bows while being escorted out by McGonagall. 

***

The following morning, Lily decided to run down to visit Hagrid before they were due to board the train. He was happy to see her but appeared distracted by an injured kneazle he had found that morning. 

“Don’ know what’s goin’ on!” He said gruffly. “More creatures injured this year – and the clever ones too – than ever before!”

“Why?” 

“Dunno. I think sommat is hurtin’ them.” He stared at the kneazle for a few seconds. Suddenly, he slammed a huge fist on the table. “And I’ll be damned if I find out wha’!” 

He perked up when he gave her a Christmas present, a beautiful hand-whittled unicorn he had made himself. 

Lily hurried back up to the castle. It was 10:00, the carriages left in half an hour. She half-wished that they were getting the boats across the lake still, but as the frost crunched beneath her feet and her breath formed swirling mist in the air, she felt slightly grateful that at least the carriages would be warm.

The Hogwarts Express was exactly how Lily remembered it. She recalled the first time she had seen it – running full pelt into the barrier, expecting to crash straight into it and everybody around her to yell “WE PRANKED YOU!”, but instead she slipped through it as if it was air, and opened her eyes to find the gleaming steam train, the tingle of magic on her skin. That journey she had cried a lot of the way about Tunie. She sighed and followed Marlene on board. The five girls claimed an apartment towards the end of the train. They were joined by Jenny Hino, Alice Fortescue and Evie Abbot, who they had grown quite chummy with. 

The time passed amicably. They discussed their plans for their holidays and laughed about memories from their first term. As the scenery changed, and they grew closer and closer to London, Lily felt more and more nervous. She didn’t know why. Maybe because for the first time in months she’d be leaving the wizarding world, maybe because the last time she had seen her sister she had been called a freak, maybe because she didn’t want to leave her home.

“Where’s the Hufflepuff common room?” said Marlene suddenly as she chewed on a liquorish wand. Lily had made sure to stock up on some wizarding chocolate so she could show her family. In particular, she wanted to show Petunia the chocolate frogs.

“That’s a secret I’ll never tell.” Replied Alice, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously. 

“Oh c’mon, everyone knows that Gryffindor is in the North tower!” argued Marlene. Lily knew that once Marlene started on something, she wouldn’t stop. 

“Only because you all hang your banners out your windows!” Snorted Alice.

“That was Potter and Black’s fault.” Huffed Marlene, tongue stained black by the liquorish. “And then all the older students thought it was a great idea - it just caught on.”

“As if they needed their egos boosting anymore.” Said Lily, rolling her eyes.

“Lily is not a fan of Potter and Black.” Explained Mary to Alice and Evie.

“I don’t see why,” giggled Ananja. “They’re really funny! Transfiguration would be so boring without them.”

“Sirius Black is kind.” Said Jenny, absentmindedly. She was currently wearing the hat that Sirius had given her the night he was attacked.

“They’re idiots.” Said Lily and Marlene together. Marlene also shared the view that the two jokesters were a couple of perfect prats, although perhaps Marlene felt more amused by it than Lily did.

“So… Jenny. Where’s the Slytherin common room?” Said Marlene, changing targets immediately, making the rest of them laugh.


	15. This December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> full moon tonight <3

Sirius  
18th December 

On the morning they were due to leave for the Christmas holidays Sirius awoke with a sickening feeling in his stomach. His mother had kept an eerie silence over the past month, but this only increased Sirius’ feeling of uneasiness. The words “just wait until I get my hands on you” that had been angrily scrawled in so many letters made his skin crawl, as if it had been etched onto his own arms. It played over and over again in his head, sometimes quiet, sometimes so loud he had to get up and move. 

_Just wait until I get my hands on you. ___

__Sirius kicked off his duvet and stomped towards the shower. He slammed on the taps, amd imagined the hot water washing away the words. Showers often calmed him. After a few minutes, however, he got restless again, and slammed off the taps. He walked back into the dormitory, hair still dripping wet._ _

__“Morning!” Said James cheerfully. James was always irritatingly awake in the mornings. Sirius pulled on his robes in silence.  
He didn’t speak the whole way down to breakfast. The overwhelming emotion he was feeling was anger, and he didn’t know why. When they reached the Entrance Hall, James sighed, staring at the place the magical ice rink had been. James and Sirius had been hugely disappointed to discover JJ and Edmund had managed to accomplish one of their own ideas. They had been impressed, all the same. _ _

__“Professor, hi!” James waved to Professor Montgomery, who smiled warmly back. Sirius wondered when he’d get fed up with the boys.  
He shovelled as much food as he could fit onto his plate and began eating ferociously. _ _

__“You planning on starving yourself over the next few days or something?” laughed James, watching Sirius scoff his eggs. Sirius shook his head: it wasn’t him that planned on starving, but if he knew his mother…_ _

__“What’s up with you anyway?” said James._ _

__“Dunnowhatyortalkinabout.” Replied Sirius, mouth full._ _

__“Don’t give me that, I’ve never seen you be this quiet in my entire time of knowing you.”_ _

__“Yeah, well you don’t know me.” Snapped Sirius. James looked like he had been hit._ _

__“Should we go on a walk?” said Remus suddenly. Sirius turned to look at him, and he put a hand on Sirius’ shaking leg to steady it. “Come on. See what we haven’t discovered yet.” He got to his feet._ _

__“Oh – okay?” So the four boys walked out the hall. James perked up immediately, and he and Peter walked just ahead of Remus and Sirius, pushing on walls or tapestries in the hopes to find new passageways, chattering happily about their plans for the holidays._ _

__Remus didn’t say anything. He was waiting for Sirius to talk._ _

__“I don’t want to go back.” Murmured Sirius._ _

__“I know.” Said Remus. When Sirius didn’t say anything else he continued. “But you shouldn’t let that ruin your last day. Or snap at James, he doesn’t understand.” Sirius grunted, feeling quite guilty._ _

__“S’pose you’re right.” A few months ago, he would have said ‘I do suppose you are right’, maybe even with a French accent. That’s something he would have to adopt again before he returned home. But Remus was right. That wasn’t just yet. He walked for a bit longer, then clapped his hands together. “RIGHT!” He announced. James and Peter turned around, and he felt Remus smile proudly. “Guys, gang… whatever. We need to come up with a name or something. We’ve got a couple hours till we leave, and I intend to make full use of that precious time.”_ _

__“What do you propose we do, commander?” said James, saluting Sirius._ _

__“I say we find JJ and Edmund and force them to tell us all their trouble making secrets!” suggested Sirius._ _

__“Nah we can do that on the train.” Replied James, waving him off._ _

__“The train!” Said Sirius, and idea coming to him. “We come up with a prank to do on the train! It’s perfect! There won’t be any teachers, and what else are going to do for eight hours; eat cauldron cakes and liquorish wands?” James had been nodding enthusiastically, but the words ‘liquorish wands’ seemed to have triggered a commotion to their left. They had been walking past a rather ugly gargoyle, which at the words had sprang suddenly into life. It hopped aside to reveal some sort of spiral staircase._ _

__“Excellent!” Cried James, leaping onto one of the steps. Sirius jumped after him, feeling himself rise smoothly higher and higher. He was just beginning to get dizzy when the staircase grinded to a halt. No-one moved. They had reached a grand oak door._ _

__“What do you think it is?” Whispered James._ _

__“Only one way to find out!” Sirius shuffled towards the door and gripped the handle. He felt the others edge forward behind him. He gave the door a little push, and it opened.  
They found themselves in a large, circular room, daylight seeping through the open window, casting shadows on all sorts of peculiar objects. A small, flute like noise came from the corner of the room, making all four boys whirl around. Standing on a perch that looked like it was made of gold was the most beautiful bird Sirius had ever seen. They inched closer, and Sirius reached out a hand to stroke the glossy feathers. It was the colour of embers._ _

__“It’s a phoenix!” said Remus, awestruck. The phoenix let out another musical note as if in confirmation._ _

__“Oh no!” James suddenly looked horrified. “Dumbledore has a phoenix.” Sirius stared around at the room, panicking. This time, his eyes took in the desk, the important looking parchments, and finally, the sleeping portraits on the wall. With a feeling of sinking dread, he recognised one of them as Phineas Nigellus._ _

__“This is Dumbledore’s office!” he cried._ _

__“That is correct.” An amicable voice said behind them. For the second time the boys span around. Albus Dumbledore stood impressively in the doorway, surveying them under his half-moon spectacles._ _

__“Morning professor!” said James unsurely. Dumbledore didn’t seem angry, but Sirius hoped James knew better than to try his usual act of innocent insolence._ _

__“How did you come to find my office?” Said Dumbledore, as if he was asking for the weather and not why he had found four intruders in his office, sweeping into the room._ _

__“It was an accident!” Explained Sirius bravely, one eye on the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, praying he wouldn’t wake up. “We were just talking about the sweets on the Hogwarts Express, and I think one of them must have been the password or… or something.” Dumbledore blinked._ _

__“What a coincidence!” He chuckled softly._ _

__“It’s true sir!”_ _

__“Oh I believe you! Not to worry. Sometimes the castle plays the most amusing tricks on us, I am forever impressed by its ability to surprise me.” Said Dumbledore, taking a seat at his desk and pressing the tips of his fingers together._ _

__“Right.” Said Sirius, not entirely sure he had understood the Headmaster was on about._ _

__“And speaking of coincidences,” began Dumbledore again, rooting through the papers on his desk. “I was just finishing a letter to young Mr Potter’s parents here. Not to worry,” he added, glancing at the look of alarm on James’ face, “this one does not refer to you.”_ _

__“Perhaps I could deliver it to them sir?” said James hopefully, forgetting – or maybe unable – to wipe his face clean of intrigue, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dumbledore._ _

__“Not today, James..” He said it sternly, but not unkindly. There was a moment of awkward silence, where Sirius fidgeted uncomfortably, glancing at Nigellus again. “While you are here, boys, I was wondering if you would tell me what you think of Hogwarts so far?”_ _

__“It’s amazing, sir!” said James immediately, and Sirius, Peter nodded his head enthusiastically, and Remus stared at his feet. “Although I do have a formal complaint!”_ _

__“Oh?”_ _

__“Yes. I think first years should be able to have brooms, sir!” he said boldly._ _

__“Ah yes. The broom phenomenon. Tell me, James, how many students in your class can actually fly safely?” James opened his mouth to retort but closed it. Sirius could see him counting the number of people who could successfully fly on his fingers, but they curled back into his hand when the number didn’t reach ten._ _

__“Fair played, sir.” Grinned James. They talked more about their experience of their first term. Sirius couldn’t help but be slightly in awe of the professor. He had grown up around curses and empty threats been hurled at Dumbledore, could still remember the look on his father’s face as he read the headline on the papers that announced Dumbledore was taking over as headmaster, and now he could see why. Dumbledore was the embodiment of everything his parents hated: kindness, serenity and a blood traitor._ _

__Time slipped closer to 10:30, and Dumbledore dismissed them, wishing them all a very Merry Christmas. They talked about the experience all the way to the Entrance Hall and the whole journey on the weird horseless carriages. Only when the scarlet steam train came into sight did they stop congratulating themselves on their fine adventure. They sent James – who after years of attending quidditch matches was the best at weaving through crowds – ahead to save them an apartment. They found him in the very same one that they had sat in on their first journey._ _

__“For old times sake!” explained James, and Sirius knew James’ grin was reflected on his own face._ _

__“So!” said Sirius, throwing himself in the seat opposite Remus, which felt so disconcertingly familiar. This time Remus didn’t stare nervously out the window, but watched Sirius excitedly. “We didn’t have time to plan our prank!”_ _

__“You underestimate the power of my mischief making, dear Sirius.” Said James. He paused melodramatically, before delving into his plan. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do it this journey, but on our way back it’ll be a perfect way to start the new year. It was Snivellus who gave me the idea, a few days ago, but I forgot about it until right now. Y’know my detention with Pince I got for hexing Snivellus?” The others nodded avidly. The nickname Peter had made up had stuck. “I never told you why I hexed him.”_ _

__“I assumed it was because he’s a snivelly, snotty git.” Said Sirius. James nodded amusedly._ _

__“Well yeah, obviously. But he was chatting rubbish with that Mulciber. They were saying how what the school really needed was to be washed clean of all the - ” He stopped. Sirius thought he knew exactly what word Snape and Mulciber had used. “And I told him what the school really needed to be scrubbed of was rats like him.”_ _

__“Nice one.” Complimented Sirius, chucking some Bertie Botts beans into his mouth as a reward._ _

__“Eugh, one of them was soap flavoured. Which is ironic really.” James spat them out the window. He spent a lengthy amount of time trying to wipe the flavour off his tongue._ _

__“Oi Potter, spit it out will you?” Said Sirius, growing impatient._ _

__James looked at him in confusion. “I literally just did?”_ _

__“Not the bean, you troll! The plan!”_ _

__“OHH! Right so you know that spell Slughorn makes us to clean out our cauldrons? What if we can work out a way to make a huge amount? So much that it - ”_ _

__“Fills the train with bubbles!” said Sirius excitedly._ _

__“Yeah! Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall’s face if the entire school turns up covered in foam?”_ _

__“Like one massive bubble bath!” Giggled Peter._ _

__“What if you lose control of the spell?” said Remus, wringing his hands together._ _

__“You underestimate my powers, Remus!” said James, pressing a hand to his heart in mock indignation._ _

__As the four discussed their plans for the prank, the sickening feeling in Sirius’ stomach was put at bay, despite the amount of sweets they were eating. Sirius made sure to save some and hide them in his trunk, telling the others he wanted to give them to Regulus. Drommie popped in to say goodbye to Sirius, much to the excitement of James, who offered her several of his pumpkin pasties._ _

__“You better not fancy my cousin, Potter.” Warned Sirius sternly._ _

__“Of course I don’t!” Retorted James, turning red. “She’s just insanely cool. Besides isn’t it sisters you’re meant to be protective of?”_ _

__“She’s as good as! We grew up together! And the Blacks marry their own cousins and siblings so much that our blood is probably about as similar as mine and Reggie’s!”  
The other boys laughed. _ _

__As the scenery changed and they drew closer and closer to London, Sirius grew quieter. He watched his friends mess around together, felt them grew increasingly excited to see their families again. The most excited of all of them seemed to be Remus. This confused Sirus. He knew Remus really loved his mum and dad, but he had only just been home a few weeks ago. Maybe that had made him miss his parents more, Sirius wasn’t exactly an expert on the subject himself. The Hogwarts express slowed to a stop. Remus waved ecstatically at his parents through the window, tears in his eyes._ _

__“Right gang,” said James, at the sound of the train doors swinging open. “You’re right, Sirius, we need a better name. I’ll look up all the spells we need and see you all here in two weeks! C’mon, I need to introduce you to my mum and dad!” He hurtled out the carriage. James Potter, always moving a few paces faster than the rest of the world. Sirius shook his head grimly and tugged his trunk out after him._ _


	16. We Can Work It Out

18th december  
Lily

It felt to Lily that she was the first off the train. Leaving her trunk behind her, she flew towards her parents, welcoming their embrace eagerly. 

“We’ve missed you so much Lily.” said her mother, stroking Lily’s hair.

“Good to see you, petal.” That was her Father’s nickname for her and Petunia. Lily pulled away and looked for her older sister, growing less eager by the second. Her Dad seemed to guess who she was looking for.

“She couldn’t make it today, honey.” he explained hesitantly. 

“Oh.” It was all Lily could do to try and not look as crestfallen as she felt. She turned back to get her trunk, and noticed Sirius Black watching the reunion. What was that emotion in his face? He realised abruptly Lily was looking at him, and smoothed his face instantly, hurrying off to a woman Lily assumed was his Mother. Lily shuddered. Maybe it was the arching eyebrows, or the way she held herself as if she were better than everybody on the station, but Lily thought it was the cruelty that hung in her eyes that scared her most. The way she hardly looked at Sirius before briskly whisking him away. As Lily walked out the station, her Dad’s arm around her, all she could think about was the look of disgust her face was possessed by when she saw her son.

Lily’s parents treated Lily to a hot chocolate and cake in a small café in London before beginning their drive. Night had fallen by the time they arrived home. Lily had whiled away the hours chatting enthusiastically to her parents about her adventures at Hogwarts, telling them everything she couldn’t fit into her letters. Like how Professor Flitwick had decorated the castle in icicles, (“No mum, he charms them so they don’t melt, you see,”), and about their attempts to feed the Giant Squid (“The what, Petal?!”), Tatty’s entertaining brothers or how Marlene had managed to persuade Callum to enlarge a spider to put in a Amos Diggory’s bed. At this last story, her parents exchanged significant looks. It was her mum her spoke.

“Lily, darling, this… Marlene, is she the sort of girl you should be hanging around with?” she said tentatively’ “From your letters she just sounds like a bad example, making all sorts of trouble!” she added hurriedly, as if it would hurt less if she said it faster.

“Marlene,” began Lily, defiantly, “Is a wonderful friend to me, Mummy. It’s not easy being a – ” she hesitated, wondering whether to admit this to her parents. “Coming from a non-wizarding family,” she decided, “But Marlene has been amazing about it, she teaches me everything everyone else knows, and has defended me the whole time. She may not stick to the rules all the time, but everything she’s done for me shows her heart of gold, and she’s had an awfully difficult year... Her mum died.” She knew her mum would instantly adore Marlene with this piece of information.

“Oh, Lily! Of course, darling. I haven’t even met the poor girl, how could I judge…” Her voice trailed off.

“Tell us about that Hagrid man, Lily,” prompted her Dad, with a wink at Lily in the mirror. She pulled the whittled unicorn out of her pockets and leant forward to shoe her mum. Stories of Hagrid lasted until they pulled up in the drive. A tabby cat was waiting for them in the moonlight.

“Poppins!” exclaimed Lily, bounding across to bundle up the cat in her arms. Her and Tunie had named her after their favourite film, Mary Poppins. Smiling as she imagined Mary Poppins at Hogwarts, she pushed open the door, preparing to see her sister on the other side. But no one came crashing down the stairs or bursting through the kitchen door. 

“She’s probably asleep, Petal.” Said her Dad from behind her. Lily nodded. It was late, but with a heaviness Lily remembered when she had got back from a school residential the previous year, Petunia had waited up until midnight. But that was last year, when the two sisters had been inseparable.

The next morning, Lily woke up feeling very disoriented. Gradually, the posters on her wall, the shag pile rug on the floor, and Poppins curled up on her crocheted blanket came into focus and she remembered where she was. Elated, she leapt out of bed, and bounded downstairs. She peered into the kitchen door cautiously. Petunia was sitting at the table, chatting merrily to her mum. Lily was amazed at how much older her sister looked, from just a few months apart. She was wearing a bandana styled carefully in her hair. Lily knew they must be the new muggle fashion, or else Tunie wouldn’t be wearing it. It was pretty. As soon as Lily walked in, the effect was immediate. Petunia fell silent so quickly that if they were still at Hogwarts, Lily would expect a silencing charm had been put on her. But this wasn’t Hogwarts.

“Hello.” Her voice was dull and resentful.

“Hey Tunie!” replied Lily, trying and failing to sound cheerful. She could feel her heart slipping into her stomach. These past few months she had been able to convince herself that her sister would forgive her, that their bond would grow back stronger than ever. Now, every second she stood there she could feel the gap between them widening.

“You didn’t write me back.” Said Lily lamely. Petunia at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

“I’ve been busy.” she said to her hands. 

“Busy.” Repeated Lily, still standing limply in the doorway, her mum too preoccupied with peering out the window to notice the awkwardness between her daughters. 

“Yes.” Said Petunia, “Besides, that bird gives me the heebie-jeebies. Its creepy.” She was getting more and more indignant by the second, as Lily knew she did whenever she got defensive. “Why can’t just you just send letters in the normal way, like a normal person?” 

“But Tunie, owl post is the normal way for witches and-” Petunia let out a squeal that made her mum jump. Luckily her Dad entered at that exact moment, so in the commotion Petunia was able to recover herself.

“I’ve cooked you a special breakfast for a treat, Lily darling,” her mum sang from the stove. Lily didn’t have the heart to tell her Mum that the Hogwarts made breakfasts like these and more every morning, in fact, Lily didn’t feel like she had a heart at all just now.

That day, the Evans family decorated the house with their Christmas decorations. It was usually one of Lily’s favourite days of the year. This year, she enjoyed it almost as much, almost. It wasn’t just her sister’s cold behaviour that tainted the day. The time she had spent away from her family had forged an airy gap between them. She didn’t understand all their inside jokes, and whenever Lily asked what had happened, the explanations were filled with: “it was funnier at the time,” and “you had to be there”. Although she loved Hogwarts with all her heart, she couldn’t help feeling jealous of her family, all together without her. They had fallen into a new dynamic, a rhythm that Lily wasn’t a part of. What’s more, Petunia had started to refer to their father as ‘Dad’. 

“Since when do we say ‘Dad’ Tunie?” asked Lily, annoyed for some reason. 

Petunia sneered boastingly. “Well, _you _can call him Daddy Lily, but you see its rather more _civilised _this way.” She had gotten over her original awkwardness, now making sure her distaste in Lily was plain.____

____The days running up to Christmas were long. Her father worked, Petunia sulked, and her mother was busy wrapped up in the business of the neighbours. Lily spent most of her time curled up in her room with Poppins, listening to the music on the radio which she had missed so much. She enjoyed the wizarding music like the Weird Sisters, this new sensation taking the wizarding world by storm according to Marlene, but it didn’t do it for her. Singing along to The Beatles or Elton John was magic by itself._ _ _ _

____Unfortunately, Lily’s childhood best friend, River, was staying with her grandparents for Christmas. Lily had only just managed to catch her before she left, and she was allowed in for a quick cup of tea but hardly knew what to say. River was under the impression that Lily had applied for a scholarship to a fancy private school in Scotland, and it wasn’t as if Lily could tell her about charms or quidditch matches. Instead she just winded up babbling about the castle itself._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____She also managed to write a good few letters to each of her Hogwarts friends and decided to send them all some Cadburys for Christmas, to introduce them to her own world. It was good to get Queenie – her owl – out of the house anyway, since both Petunia and her mum had some sort of mortal fear of the owl. Besides, Lily also didn’t like the way Poppins looked hungrily at her cage._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____But it was when her Dad got home that was Lily’s favourite part of the day. She and her Dad had always got on tremendously well, both very similar. They shared the same red hair, the same soft features, and the same startling green eyes. They both loved an adventure and shared the same fiery attitude towards life. Mrs Evans and Petunia contrasted this drastically. They preferred a safe, comfortable life, perfectly happy wrapped up in the business of others. Lily and her Father would spend their evenings getting up into all sorts of fun. Skating on the frozen river, driving to the next village to grab a hot chocolate, even simply sitting by the fire, singing along to their favourite records on repeat. Lily had missed the release of Elton John’s ‘Madman Across The Water’ album, and so this record was usually Tiny Dancer. Lily’s Dad possessed the sort of patience that made you feel like you could talk about anything and he’d listen. She told him in great detail or about her lessons and her friends, to the point where she was quite confident he could pass a charms test or find his way around Hogwarts. Sometimes the temptation to show him some of the magic she had learned became overwhelming, but her Dad seemed happy enough just to hear what she could do._ _ _ _

____By and by, Lily was having quite a pleasant time by the time Christmas rolled around._ _ _ _

____On Christmas day, a different sort of magic to the one Lily was used to drifted through the house. Lily was easily excited, and Christmas was almost too much to handle. She grabbed her stocking with glee, scooped up and indignant Poppins and bounded into her parents’ room singing “It’s Christmas!”_ _ _ _

____The Christmas magic even affected Petunia, thawing her frosty attitude as the four Evans’ curled up on the bed, merrily opening the girls’ stockings.  
It was Lily’s turn first to hand out her presents. Her Mother and Father exclaimed joyfully at their gifts, but it was Petunia’s reaction that made Lily smile from ear to ear. When her sister slipped the dressing gown Lily had so painstakingly decorated out of its wrapping, her face remained set, but Lily watched her eyes soften. Then something extraordinary happened. Petunia got up and, hesitating only briefly, gave Lily a fleeting hug. Slightly dazed, Lily realised this was the first time Tunie had even touched her for months. _ _ _ _

____“Thank you,” Was all Petunia said, but to Lily it was worth more than anything in the world. Even better than when Lily opened her present from her parents. She tore off the wrapping and let out a shriek of excitement._ _ _ _

____“Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! Oh it’s beautiful!” For Lily had unwrapped a record player, a deep red colour, with gold embellishments. Gryffindor colours. Her Dad seemed to be almost as excited as his daughter._ _ _ _

____“Open your other presents! Open them!” He urged. Lily rooted around for her presents and tore off each wrapping with gathering ecstasy as she revealed vinyl after vinyl, Elton John’s newest and the Beatles’ final, David Bowie’s Space Oddity and an old Elvis Presley album. She tackled her Dad with joy as she thanked him over and over again. She could hardly wait to set it up, but she managed to sit through the rest of the present openings, receiving a range of hair bandanas from Tunie, which she had learned was a hot trend in the muggle world, and money from her more extended relatives, and lots of chocolate, the type Lily missed in the wizarding world._ _ _ _

____That night, Lily lay in her bed happier than she had been since returning home. She had her very own record player! She was safe, and her family was happy, and – most of all – her sister had worn her dressing gown all day. Lily had hope for their once powerful relationship, and as long as she had hope, she was content._ _ _ _

____This hope was shattered in the days to come. Petunia, if anything, grew colder towards Lily. She felt as if she were an ice burg severed from her sister, drifting away into the open ocean. Tunie had been her rock, and now she was exposed to the sea. The sea was beautiful, Lily knew that, but it could also rage a dangerous storm, and without her big sister by her side, Lily didn’t know what to do. The only remaining connection between the sisters was Petunia wore the dressing gown each night. Sometimes, Lily would notice her watching her with an expression that reminded Lily with a shiver of Sirius Black’s face on the platform. On her sister’s familiar face she was able to identify the expression as jealousy, and wondered distantly what she had to cause carefree, pure-blooded and wealthy _Sirius Black _to be jealous of.___ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> if you want to follow me on tumblr my url is the same as my username!


	17. Is There Anybody Out There?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning - strong themes of abuse.  
> it's an angsty one everybody... can you tell by the chapter name?

Sirius

He watched painfully as she ran into her mother’s arms, saw the expression on her father’s face as he drank in his wondrous daughter. He had just watched James reunite with his family in a similarly distant way. Even Peter was greeted with a smothering of kisses. Before James could turn around to introduce Sirius, he had hurried away. Somehow the station that had once seemed like a liberating breath of air had turned sinister and suffocating. Maybe it was the weather.

“Sirius.” There she was. Holding the s for slightly longer than she needed to, just like Narcissa did. He became aware he Lily was watching him and quickly turned towards his mother, unable to look in her eyes.  
_You’re in Gryffindor, _Sirius told himself, _you can do anything. _She marched him out of the platform, hissing under her breath in French. Without warning, she turned on the spot and the pair disappeared into nothing. Sirius felt like his lungs were being squeezed by an iron fist. He was nowhere. He wanted to stay nowhere. Then out of the darkness he stumbled onto the steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.____

____His mother yanked him up by the cuff of his school robes and threw him into the house. He scrambled into the kitchen and turned around to face her.  
“Mother, mother please,” He pleaded. She closed the gap between them with one stride and slapped him across the face._ _ _ _

____“Do you have any idea the humiliation you have cursed our family with?” She spat in French, pressing him against the wall. Sirius nodded, desperate to keep the tears in his eyes. She plunged a hand in her robes for her wand. She had never used magic on him before._ _ _ _

____“Sirius?” Regulus was at the kitchen door._ _ _ _

____“Regulus, go to your room.” Breathed Walburga, her hand still pinning Sirius against the wall._ _ _ _

____“I wanted to see Sirius.” Said Regulus uncertainly, eyes fixated on Walburga’s wand hand._ _ _ _

____“Reggie get outta here!” Pleaded Sirius. He hated it when Reggie watched._ _ _ _

____“No.” Said Walburga in a menacing tone, deciding against her wand and instead reaching for her belt. “No, Sirius. I think your brother should watch what happens if you betray the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, don’t you think?”_ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____Sirius lay on the dusty floor of the attic, on his stomach to ease the marks across his back. He understood if Regulus had not interrupted his mother, she would have used magic to punish him. Whether the so far empty threat of ‘crucio’ would have been fulfilled, he didn’t know. His stomach growled.  
‘Great.’ He thought. ‘Even my stomach is mad at me.’ He had been right to eat as much food as he could on his last day at Hogwarts – he had now been locked in the cramped, dingy attic room for almost day. Surely they’d let him out soon, they’d never shut him up for two nights before._ _ _ _

____“Sirius?” Regulus’ voice was once again at the door._ _ _ _

____“Reggie!” Whispered Sirius, putting his face to the crack under the door._ _ _ _

____“Are you okay?” His voice was small. It hadn’t changed during the months he’d been away. Sirius clung to the familiarity._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lied Sirius. “Reg, you should go. You’ll be in serious trouble if they find you.”_ _ _ _

____“I thought you were the one in ‘Sirius’ trouble,” said Reggie, obviously very pleased at his joke. Sirius laughed shortly. “Look, Siri. She’s going to keep you here overnight.” This made Sirius wince, involuntarily. “Dad’s away. I think if he were here… Don’t worry, I’ll try and get one of the house-elves to send you some food.” Before Sirius could argue, the sound of Regulus’ retreating footsteps could be heard._ _ _ _

____Ten minutes later, there was a sudden CRACK that filled the air._ _ _ _

____“Master Regulus has told Shoomy to bring Master Sirius some dinner.” Said the house-elf, avoiding Sirius’ eyes. “But Kreacher told Shoomy Master Sirius has been a bad, bad boy. But Master Regulus is a good boy, so Shoomy agreed.” Shoomy put the food on the floor, and disapparated back downstairs. Ravenous, Sirius snatched up the croissants that Shoomy had brought. They were stale, but they would fill the cavern in his stomach._ _ _ _

____The door was flung open the next morning. Sirius squinted into the light to find his father staring at him._ _ _ _

____“Follow me.” He said emotionally, as if this wasn’t the first time he had seen his eldest son in months. Suddenly, Sirius wasn’t so keen on leaving the small room. His father led him down to the kitchen, where the House-elves bowed to Orion and gave looks of disgust to Sirius. Shoomy hung her head in shame. Breakfast was waiting on the table for Sirius. He’d dine alone. Orion turned to leave._ _ _ _

____“Papa!” The childhood nickname made his father halt. He turned his head slightly, a shadow falling on the aristocratic features Sirius himself had inherited. But Sirius said nothing more, and his Orion shut the door behind him._ _ _ _

____***  
Over the next few days, Sirius was largely ignored by his Father and lectured by his Mother, which suited him just fine. He spent his time hidden in his bedroom, telling an enraptured Reggie all about his first term at Hogwarts. He seemed particularly intrigued with James. His brother’s excitement helped Sirius relax._ _ _ _

____“Maybe you’ll be in Gryffindor, like me!” Said Sirius one evening, after he had finished telling Reggie about quidditch matches. Reggie bit his lip; eyes darting to the door._ _ _ _

____“I don’t know, maybe.” He said. Sirius didn’t bring it up again._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____After his first day, Sirius was not only permitted, but expected to dine with the family, a very uncomfortable experience. Usually, Sirius and Regulus were not allowed to talk while at the table, to show kind of weird, outdated respect for their parents. The Black children were seen and not heard. On Christmas Eve, however, his Mother seemed to make an exception._ _ _ _

____“You are both to attend our Christmas party tomorrow.” She said to her two sons, who nodded. Sirius groaned internally. He had hoped he wouldn’t be allowed to come, given previous incidents at these annual parties._ _ _ _

____“Who is coming, Mother?” said Regulus, his voice sickly sweet._ _ _ _

____“The Mulcibers, the Yaxleys, the Carrows, the Goyles” she replied, listing them all on her fingers. “and Auntie Druella with your cousins.”_ _ _ _

____“What about Uncle Alphard?” Asked Sirius immediately._ _ _ _

____“Uncle Alphard is arriving at the party late.” Said Orion stiffly, muttering something under his breath. He had never got on with his wife’s brother._ _ _ _

____“Sirius, I hope you’ve been practising the piano because you’re expected to play during the recital tomorrow.” Said Walburga, sipping on her wine. Dread pooled into Sirius’ stomach instead of the water Sirius was drinking._ _ _ _

____“Um, Mother. I couldn’t practise at school.” He mumbled._ _ _ _

____“What?” She said sharply._ _ _ _

____“There’s no piano at school.” There was a silence._ _ _ _

____“Yes there is.” Said his Father sternly. “I played it myself as a boy.” Sirius shook his head._ _ _ _

____“I’m sure there is in the Slytherin common room, but there isn’t one in the Gryff-”_ _ _ _

____“Don’t you dare speak that word in my house!” Snarled Walburga._ _ _ _

____“I don’t know why you care so much,” burst out Sirius. “You didn’t even go to Hogwarts, you went to Beauxbaton, how do you even know you would have been in Slytherin?” He glared at his Mother, Reggie looking desperately between them._ _ _ _

____“How dare you speak to your mother like that.” Said his Father, rising to his feet._ _ _ _

____“Get out.” Her voice wasn’t angry, instead it held the trace of a smirk._ _ _ _

____Unfortunately, Sirius hadn’t disgraced himself enough to ban him from his parents’ stupid party, but was forced to practise piano late into the night. He very seriously contemplated deliberately ruining it, just as he had done a year ago when he released a rat he had captured from the street into the dining room. For once, the blame wasn’t immediately put on him, but he was forced to own up when it looked like the house-elves were about to get punished. He decided against it when he tried on his new extremely heavy dress robes on Christmas morning. He tried to straighten his spine, still very sore, beneath the overly ornate layers of fabric and wondered if his mother had chosen them deliberately. He realised she definitely had when he saw Regulus’ lightweight, grey dress robes. It was lucky the guests weren’t arriving until 2._ _ _ _

____Sirius and Regulus had to welcome their guests into the Drawing Room. They were sent in early so as not to get in the way. Sirius stared grimly out of the high windows. He hadn’t been in this room since he had left for Hogwarts and looked around distastefully at the intricately carved cabinets and the array of dark objects they held. It was an exact contrast to Dumbledore’s office. He hopped up to sit on one of the Elm drawers, and wondered not for the first-time what James, Remus and Peter were doing right now._ _ _ _

____“Sirius get down!” Whispered Reggie worriedly, eyes darting to the door._ _ _ _

____“You need to chill, lil bro.” Said Sirius, but obliged all the same. Regulus looked at him strangely._ _ _ _

____“You’re different.” He said. Sirius snorted._ _ _ _

____“In what way?”_ _ _ _

____“You talk different. And you never speak French, unless to Mother. And you – you move around more.” Sirius glanced at his reflection in the window._ _ _ _

____“Is it good?” He asked, slightly amused._ _ _ _

____Regulus contemplated this for a second.“Yes.” He decided. “It’s funny.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh yeah?” Said Sirius in mock offense. “If I wasn’t being weighed to the ground by the force of a hippogriff, I’d tackle you!” Regulus giggled._ _ _ _

____“See! You’re different!” Sirius was secretly very happy. The doorbell rang downstairs, And the two brothers stopped laughing immediately and hurried to the door. They heard voices in the Entrance Hall downstairs and hurried footsteps on the stairs._ _ _ _

____“Welcome to The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black.” Droned Sirius and Regulus unanimously._ _ _ _

____“It’s me you prats.”_ _ _ _

____“Andy!”  
“Drommie!” _ _ _ _

____When they were little, Sirius and Regulus used to fight over what they should shorten Andromeda’s name to. They still hadn’t come to an agreement. She pulled them both into a fierce hug, ruffling their hair._ _ _ _

____“Merlin, Sirius. What has she dressed you in?” She held Sirius at arm’s length to survey him. Sirius could hardly stand with the weight of the clothes. “Here.” She pointed his wand at him and muttered a complicated incantation. Immediately, Sirius felt the weight lift. Sirius looked down in horror, expecting to find himself naked, but the robes were just as before, they just didn’t weigh a thing. Drommie winked at him._ _ _ _

____“What are they doing down there?” Asked Sirius, gesturing to the door where echoes of excited voices could be heard._ _ _ _

____“Ugh. Bella got engaged. She’s probably showing off her ring to Auntie Walburga. Why is there nowhere to sit around here?” She whined, leaning against a pillar and fidgeting with her dress. Drommie was possibly the most beautiful out of all the blacks, certainly on the inside. She looked very grown up in her ball gown, hair coiled in an intricate bun so that only soft pieces curled around her face. “She made me wear a bloody corset, can you believe it? I think she’s trying to get me betrothed.” Drommie and Sirius often referred to their mothers as ‘she’._ _ _ _

____“To who?” Said Sirius, alarmed._ _ _ _

____“To whom, little cousin.” Bellatrix Black sneered as she stalked in to the room. All three cousins straightened – this was significantly easier now Drommie had performed the feather-light charm. Bellatrix sneered at Sirius, the rest of the family following her in._ _ _ _

____“Well, well, well.” Her voice was high and girlish. Malicious. She stroked a finger across Sirius’ cheek. His stomach lurched and he had to fight the impulse to flinch. “It’s the family traitor.” Druella Black let out a high-pitched cackle from behind her daughter. They were all staring at him now. He glared back defiantly, fist curled behind his back._ _ _ _

____Somehow, Sirius made it through the party. He didn’t have to worry about ruining it either– Drommie took care of that for him. It happened after dinner; Uncle Alphard had just arrived. Drommie had certainly been right about her mother. Now Bella was safely in a respectable betrothal, she could focus her attention on her second daughter. Much to Drommie’s horror, her chosen suitor was Michael Goyle, a 28-year-old member of the Magical Law Enforcement Office, in which he probably bought himself into. He was short, hairy, and prematurely balding. When he had attempted to slide a hand up her thigh she had thrown her entire glass of wine over his head. She was sent to the room in which she was spending the night, in which she did so only too happily._ _ _ _

____“Nice to see our Andromeda still got her spark,” mused Uncle Alphard, pouring himself his second glass of fire whiskey. “And you too, you’ve certainly stirred things up!” He winked at Sirius._ _ _ _

____“So I keep being reminded.” Muttered Sirius darkly._ _ _ _

____“Chin up, young chap. Keeps family meetings interesting at any rate. They’ll be off your back now they have old Bella’s wedding to plan, anyway.” Sirius wondered if he had meant ‘off your back’ as a metaphor or not._ _ _ _

____“What else do they talk about in the meetings?” Said Sirius, remembering what Reggie had said about whispers and secrets. A dark shadow passed across Uncle Alphard’s face momentarily._ _ _ _

____“Money.” He said simply, draining his glass._ _ _ _

____A couple of months ago Sirius would have believed him. That was the obsession he had grown up around. But his parents had a new fixation. He had finally learnt what all the whispers about on his way to wish Drommie goodnight (and secretly congratulate her) when he heard a muttered conversation between his Father and Uncle Cygnus. Smoke seeped from under the door of the billiard room in menacing, snake like apparitions._ _ _ _

____“The Dark Lord is gaining more and more followers Cygnus. It’s only a matter of time.”  
“A matter of time until what?”  
“War.”_ _ _ _

____Sirius dragged himself up the stairs, avoiding the gaze of old deceased house-elves. His robes had now returned to their fullest weight. What had his father meant by war? Had he translated the french wrong? La guerre… That definitely meant war. And le Seigneur des Tenebres? That was definitely The Dark Lord. He slipped into his new silk pyjamas, and crept along the hall to Drommie’s usual room. She had discarded her corset in favour of a ridiculously frilly nightgown._ _ _ _

____“Before you laugh, take a look at what she’s dressed YOU in.” Said Drommie, pointing a rolled up Daily Prophet at him._ _ _ _

____“Fair point.” Grinned Sirius, slumping onto her bed. He raised an eyebrow at the curtains she had conjured to cover the portrait of Phineas Nigellus._ _ _ _

____“He’s creepy!” She said defensively. “Last Christmas I woke up to him talking to himself about how he had missed the ‘pretty young lady’! Forgive me if I want a little privacy!” Sirius had to agree. Drommie inspected a new bottle of perfume. She sprayed a little on her wrist and held it out for Sirius’ judgment. It was a sweet, musky scent. It suited her._ _ _ _

____“Nice display you put on back there.” He said after a while._ _ _ _

____“Yeah well, you were taking your time in ruining their night, so I thought I’d help you along.” She smirked._ _ _ _

____“Hey, I’ve done my part this year!” Countered Sirius. “I’m pretty sure I’ve won the competition of offending the family the most.”_ _ _ _

____“I wouldn’t be so sure, little cousin.” Said Drommie mysteriously. Piano could be heard from downstairs. By the sound of it, it was Regulus’ turn – no one else could play like that._ _ _ _

____“What do you mean!” Demanded Sirius, sitting up immediately. Drommie shrugged.  
“If Mother is marrying me off to paedophilic creeps, then I shall have to take drastic consequences.” Sirius eyed her. She seemed to be completely serious. _ _ _ _

____“You have a secret!” He stated, leaning towards her._ _ _ _

____“What? No I don’t!” She squealed in protest, turning away from him, but Sirius could still see her neck flush. He had meant it only half-heartedly, but her reaction confirmed it._ _ _ _

____“You have a secret, Andromeda Black! And before you leave I will figure it out!” He waggled a finger at her, and she threw a cushion at him._ _ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____Over the following couple of days, however, Sirius was unable to squeeze the truth out of Drommie. She was still acting strangely, but Sirius couldn’t string all the clues together to figure out a plausible explanation. For example, all of a sudden, she wanted to talk about quidditch a lot more than usual._ _ _ _

____“You didn’t used to care about quidditch!” He accused, snatching away his quidditch magazines she was attempting to steal._ _ _ _

____“Just because you don’t pay attention to me, Sirius, doesn’t mean I don’t have a life!” She retorted, summoning the magazines with her wand and flouncing off_ _ _ _

____What’s more, she would spend a lot of time in her room writing letters to her friends._ _ _ _

____“But you hate all your friends!” Called Sirius from behind her locked door in annoyance. He just wanted to practise chess against her, so maybe he could finally beat Remus. “I’ll ask Reg instead.” He muttered, pulling a face at one of the portraits as he passed._ _ _ _

____Eventually he stopped asking, since she would just flounce away in a strop every time he questioned her, and he needed her company. Reggie was no good at chess after all._ _ _ _

____On the evening before they were supposed to return to Hogwarts, he waved off his favourite cousin with regret, although he made her promise to meet him on the platform the following day. In revenge for her not disclosing her secret to him, he had dropped allusive hints that he would be making her train journey to Hogwarts an exciting one, but she had hardly raised an eyebrow, just ruffled his hair affectionately. He closed the door behind her and smiled._ _ _ _

____‘She’ll see,” was his last thought, before he was grabbed by the hair. Under the eyes of her sister’s family, his mother didn’t lay a finger on Sirius, who was lulled into a sense of security during their visit.  
Now, however, she dragged him into the kitchen and threw him to the floor. He scrambled quickly to his feet, thinking quickly of what he could have possibly done to enrage her. He glanced at his father, who remained seated, eyes fixed on his newspaper._ _ _ _

____“Narcissa has been telling me all about your nasty little friends. A half-blood, a Potter, and a Pettigrew.” She hissed nauseatingly, approaching him slowly. He retreated, looking imploringly at his father again. Still he didn’t move, but his eyes were no longer reading the paper. “What were my final words to you when you left for school, Sirius Orion Black? WHAT WERE THEY?”_ _ _ _

____“If I hear you’ve been mixing with, with m-mudbloods and blood-traitors, I’ll…” Sirius gulped._ _ _ _

____“Go on.” Goaded his mother, taking another step forward. This time, Sirius didn’t back away, but gritted his teeth and looked her right in the eye._ _ _ _

____“I’ll beat you so hard you won’t remember your name.” He finished and closed his eyes._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____****_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____He pressed his burning face into his pillow and let the tears escape, let the sobs shake his body. He cried so violently he didn’t hear the door creak open. He cried so desperately it took him a few seconds to process the hand on his shoulder. His stomach lurched threateningly and he scrambled away, before realising it was Regulus. Not having the energy to tell him to get lost, he permitted Reggie to rest a head on his shoulder as he struggled to control his sobbing. He refused to let his little brother see him like this._ _ _ _

____“You haven’t cried in ages.” Said Reggie after the tears had subsided. For the first time, Sirius understood why relatives so often stated how similar the two brothers were. In the limited light, Sirius felt like he could be looking in a mirror. Except he knew his real reflection would show the nasty bruising of his eye._ _ _ _

____“Won’t happen again.” Said Sirius, more to himself. Regulus pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, labelled murtlap essence, and pressed it into Sirius’ hands. Sirius smiled at him weakly and began to dab it on his swollen cheek._ _ _ _

____“Sirius…” Began Regulus, but Sirius cut him off._ _ _ _

____“Save it, Reggie. I don’t care that they hate me.” He said, again more to remind himself. Regulus’ blue eyes – the eyes that separated himself from Sirius’ grey ones – widened._ _ _ _

____“But Sirius, of course they love you! They love you most!” He said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world._ _ _ _

____“What gives you that idea?” Snapped Sirius, detesting and ignoring the feeling of flickering hope had swooped over him._ _ _ _

____“They hurt you because they love you, Siri! It may be painful, but it’s because they care - get off me!” Sirius had shoved him very hard._ _ _ _

____“You MORON, Regulus.” He said sharply, as loudly as he dared. “Are you mental?” His expression softened as he saw Reggie’s eyes fill with tears. He took his brother’s hand and sighed. “Listen to me, Regulus, listen to me. Our parents – they’re messed up, Reggie. Surely you can see that. The way they treat us like ornaments on the shelf, the way the hurt us, the way they treat anyone who isn’t like them, Reggie look at me. Look at my face, you think this is LOVE? You think LOVE made these bruises?” But Regulus was pushing him away._ _ _ _

____“You shouldn’t say that about them, Sirius.” He cried, trying to wriggle from Sirius’ grasp. “They’re our parents!”_ _ _ _

____“Then they should bloody act like it!” Yelled Sirius, not even bothering to keep his voice down. Reggie looked terrifed and, finally managing to free himself, hurried from the room._ _ _ _

____Sirius kicked his trunk, hard. It was too late. The wounds inflicted on Regulus by this household ran far deeper than any the physical ones Sirius had endured. Resentment for his parents bubbled up inside of him, hot and thick, threatening to overflow. He needed to do something, anything, to make his parents pay for the disfigurement of their two sons. He stood in his room, breathing hard with the pain and with the effort of thinking of a way he could avenge his brother. They didn’t seem to care about anything other than money and blood purity. And the idea came to him._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was painful.


	18. Glory Days

Sirius  
2nd January 1972

Regulus refused to go to King’s Cross with him the next day. Sirius knocked on his door for several minutes, but in the end he decided it was probably best to leave him alone. However, he did slip a note saying goodbye under his brother’s door. He walked beside his Mother, straight backed and proud, the adrenaline of what he had done a protective charm against his fear. As soon as he was through the barrier, he slipped away, just as he had on the morning of the 1st of September. He spotted Drommie standing alone, waiting for him, and scurried over.

“Sirius!” She cried in alarm when she saw his face. His left eye was swollen, the skin stretched tight - and had turned a nasty shade of purple, despite his frantic applications of murtlap essence. “What did she do to you?” 

Sirius winced when she reached out to touch the bruise and shrugged her off. There was no point lying to Drommie. “Let’s just say Narcissa was feeding her everything she wanted to know about my disgraceful life, while we weren’t looking.” Drommie’s expression darkened dangerously. 

“I’ll kill her.” She muttered, drawing her wand and looking around as she spoke. “I’ll kill her.” Sirius gripped her hand firmly.

“No need!” He said triumphantly. She shot him a sharp look.

“Sirius… What have you done?” She said worriedly. He smirked and jutted his chin forward. “Siri, tell me.”

“See ya later, Dromstick! Just seen a friend!” He skipped away, leaving Drommie calling furiously after him. He had indeed spotted a head of golden curls getting on the train. He hopped on after him and headed to the compartment where he knew he would be. 

“Remus!” Sirius cried happily, wrenching open the door. The small boy was hunched over his trunk, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes like Sirius. He still hadn’t got changed in front of the other boys, James said he must be shy. He took his time in straightening up. When he finally met Sirius’ eyes, both boys let out a gasp. Remus’ eye was also puffy and swollen, widening as it took in the identical bruise on Sirius’ face.

“What happened?” He asked worriedly. 

“Well I could ask you the same thing.” Challenged Sirius. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Sirius began to laugh, causing Remus to stare at him in alarm. “People are gonna think we’ve been in a fight!”

Remus looked slightly relieved. “You’re going to encourage the rumour, aren’t you.” He said, just as someone came clattering into the apartment, tackling Sirius to the floor.

“Gerroff me Potter, you prat.” He wriggled free of James, who then pulled Remus into a ferocious hug.   
Soon, Peter was in the compartment. “Peter!” Cried James, relieving a startled Remus in favour of a sickeningly pleased Peter. 

“So!” He began once everybody had taken their usual seats - Sirius opposite Remus, James opposite Peter - rubbing his hands together enthusiastically as if he was about to make an announcement. Then he caught sight of the purpling faces of Remus and Sirius. “What the hell happened to you two?” He demanded. Their eyes met one another. 

“Attacked by a sphinx.” Deadpanned Sirius.

“He was really cool.” Nodded Remus sagely.

“Remus fought off three dementors at once.” Continued Sirius.

“You should’ve been there.” Said Remus, beginning to laugh. Sirius had missed his laugh. Secretly, he was very intrigued on how Remus had really got his injury, but Remus hadn’t asked Sirius, so he was certainly going to return the favour. When neither he nor Remus offered James any further information, he gave up, his mind obviously elsewhere. 

“Gentlemen!” Began James again, standing up to address his friends and clapping his hands together. “My noble friends! Over the Christmas Break I have been reflecting on our achievements of our first term of Hogwarts, and – I’m afraid to say – I am most disappointed in us!”

“You’re top of the class in everything!” Pointed out Peter, but James shook his head.

“He’s not talking about academic achievements, Peter. He’s referring to our mischief making!” Said Sirius, earning himself an approving thumbs up from James. 

Peter still looked confused. “But you’re always in detention!”

“Not doing homework and teasing Lockhart is not good enough, my dear Peter!” Said James, still adopting a dramatic tone of voice. “Our prank on that blonde slimeball Lucius was a start,”

“ – there’s nothing wrong with blondes, James.” Pouted Peter. James ran a hand through his own, jet-black locks in exasperation.

“Shut UP, Peter. I planned this speech. My point is, we’ve definitely began to build a reputation for ourselves, but it’s not good enough. Our plans for this journey should be the start of many great pranks!”  
Remus and Peter both looked nervous. Sirius leaned forward; there was an impassioned aura about James, he had a plan. Or at least – he had something to tell them. “However! I have been gifted something that should make it a little easier to,” he paused dramatically. James Potter loved a show. “wreak havoc!” 

He bent over his trunk, extracting a shimmering piece of fabric. It pooled in his hands, weightless. Sometimes, it was almost impossible to see. Sirius reached out to touch it. It seemed to be a cloak. He looked up at his friend, who was looking back at him with a very satisfied expression on his face. 

“It isn’t?” He breathed, unsurely. 

“It is!”

“Prove it!” Ordered Sirius, getting to his feet and bouncing up and down with the eagerness. Remus and Peter looked perplexed. All three watched with mounting anticipation as James let the cloak slip between his fingers, pulling it over him with a flourish. Peter screamed. Where James had been standing blithely mere moments before, the space was now just empty air.

“No way!” Shouted Sirius, stretching out his fingers to try and grasp his invisible friend. James’ head appeared, laughing goofily at him, apparently floating in mid-air. Peter screamed again. Sirius aimed a playful shove in the space beneath his head. His hands collided with James’ body.

Remus seemed to have realised what was going on. “It’s an invisibility cloak!” he said in awe. “Like the one in Tales of Beedle the Bard!” James’ head nodded comically in the air, before disappearing again.

“Like in what?” Said Sirius.

“Tales of Beedle the Bard? Tale of three brothers?” James’ voice came from right beside him. “Didn’t your parents read you Tales of Beedle the Bard?” Sirius shook his head, annoyed that he once again was missing something, and sat back down. A muffled cry told him he had just sat on James. 

***

“Okay boys, this is it.” They were crouched beneath James’ new cloak in the corridor of the train, having spent many jovial hours taking it in turns to parade around in it, confusing a fair few students along the way. Most memorably, Sirius had managed to slip into the Ravenclaw’s compartment and flip Lockhart’s robes over his head. 

James had explained how the cloak was a family heirloom, and – after many failed attempts at stealing it – his father had finally conceded and James had received it for Christmas. They had decided to wait until they were close to Hogwarts to begin their prank. That way, the train would still be in optimum pandemonium by the time they arrived at school.

“Wish my family heirlooms were as cool as this.” Sirius muttered, thinking of the hideous goblets he had been gifted for Christmas that year.

“Remember, if a teacher asks, deny, deny, deny. But if a student asks, well we gotta encourage the rumour, we have a reputation to make!” James was saying for the umpteenth time. “Ready to make Hogwarts History?” He grinned. The four boys poked their wands from beneath the cloak. It would be their first time actually performing the spell, but James assured them it was simple. 

“Sopasudius!” They said unanimously. Immediately, bubbles poured from each of their wands, cascading onto the floor of the train. From his pocket, James pulled a bag of small pink powder – a product to enhance the effect of cleaning spells he had bought with his Christmas money much to the confusion of his parents - which he promptly threw the whole bag onto the foam. The result was extraordinary. The foam seemed to swell, crawling along the corridor with ease. They scurried back into their apartment to ditch the cloak, then headed back out to witness the effect of their mayhem. Students everywhere were peering out their doors to look for the source of the river of bubbles, only causing the streams to diverge into their own compartments, just as James had planned. Letting out a roar of jubilation, James dove headfirst into the foam. Rolling his eyes affectionately, Sirius followed him.

Despite the ferocious efforts of the prefects, students were still wading through foam by the time the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station. The boys had watched with mounting amusement as Amos Diggory had worked himself into steam. Every time he vanished a portion if the foam, more would instantly fill its place. Using aguamenti just made it bubble up even more. 

As soon as the doors opened, students burst from the doors with mixed feelings – some gaffawing with laughter, some desperately wiping of the suds from their robes. Professor McGonagall – who was waiting on the platform to supervise the arrival – swooped in immediately, waving her wand in a complicated pattern. Within seconds, the swamp of foam creeping out the doors had vanished. She swung around with a murderous expression on her face. The boys scarpered, hurrying into the first carriage they could find, ducking beneath the seats so she wouldn’t be able to see them. So when Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald clambered in, they didn’t immediately spot the four boys crouching on the floor. 

“Evening ladies!” Said James with surprising confidence, seeing the ludicrous position he had been discovered in. All three jumped. 

“Oh for God’s sake.” Muttered Lily in annoyance. Sirius assumed it was a muggle phrase. “Come on let’s find another carriage.” She even opened the door to clamber out, but the carriage gave a sudden lurch forward and she was thrown back into her seat. She made a point of turning her back to James and Sirius and engage Mary in conversation. Sirius leant a hand to help Remus from under the seats.

“Eugh!” Said Marlene furiously, trying to rub the bubbles of her robes.

“It’s just soap, McKinnon!” Said James from opposite her. He had smeared the foam across his face to create a bubbly beard. Sirius had only recently learned that the McKinnons and the Potters were very good family friends, and lived quite near each other some place in Scotland. They had grown up like cousins – and had the rivalry to prove it. They pretended not to like each other, but Sirius knew they cared for one another, despite the stony glare Marlene was currently fixing James with.

“Shame Snivellous wasn’t here onboard, he could have experienced what it felt like to be clean for the very first time!” Sniggered Sirius.

“Shut up, Black!” Snapped Lily, aiming a feisty kick at Sirius’ shins, who pretended it hurt a lot less than it actually did.

“Oooh! Snivelly’s got himself a girlfriend!” Teased James, and Lily turned crimson. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

Before Lily could retaliate, Marlene intervened. “I think it’s time I tell the story of the time James swooned all summer over a muggle girl because she said she liked his swimming trunks.” It was James’ turn to blush. “I believe there was a song involved?”

“Oh please tell me there was a song!” Said Sirius mischievously.

“McKinnon don’t you dare!” James began wresting with Marlene as she started singing.

***

James made them all swear to never bring up any of the stories Marlene had told them. Sirius did so with his fingers crossed behind his back. They sat at the Gryffindor table, and Sirius breathed in the familiarity of the Great Hall. Even the uncomfortable wooden bench was a welcome sensation, although he doubted that would last long. His eyes followed McGonagall as she strode past all the House Tables to where Dumbledore sat, looking at her with an amicable expression. She began whispering in his ear, and his eyes swept the hall. Once she had finished no doubt telling him what had taken place on the train, he rose to his feet.

Silence swept over the hall impressively. “Before I address the graphorn in the room, I would like to welcome the majority of our students back to Hogwarts! I hope you have all had a pleasant break.” He said pleasantly.

‘Wish you would hope a bit harder’ thought Sirius darkly. 

“And now, those of you who were not on the Hogwarts Express – although you will have most likely been filled in by now – you may notice your friends seem to be smelling rather lovely, makes a nice change from normal I’m sure.” Laughter rippled through the room. “However, as your headmaster, I have to reprimand whoever initiated the steam train bubble bath. Although harmless, it was reckless to attempt such disruptive magic without supervision. Would anyone like to come forward?” Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There was a long silence. “I didn’t think so.” Sighed Dumbledore, looking slightly shrewd now. He sat back down. “In that case, we shall not start dinner until they have come forward.” James and Sirius looked at each other in alarm while the rest of the hall broke out in angry cries. They both knew what they had to do.

James hopped up on the bench and bellowed: “It was me!” Everyone turned to look at him. 

Hurriedly, Sirius scrambled onto his bench. He wasn’t going to let James take the fall all by himself - or all the glory. “And it was me too!”

Without hesitation, Remus got up too. “And me.” They looked expectedly at Peter, who slowly got to his feet as well.

“It was my idea!” Added James, who clearly thought it was necessary to supply this piece of information. He may well have regretted this when he saw the look on McGonagall’s face.

“Very well, it seems we have a tricky seven years ahead of us Minerva.” said Dumbledore, looking slightly bemused. “What scent of soap was it I can’t quite - ” He stopped himself when he saw McGonagall’s face. “Professor McGonagall will speak to you after dinner.”

“Stop cheering Mr Jordan, Mr Weasley.” Interrupted McGonagall. JJ and Edmund had started to clap.

“I shan’t keep you from your food any longer!” Said Dumbledore, clapping his hands twice. Food immediately appeared on the four tables. James – who was bowing low to JJ and Edmund – ended up with his face in a pile of potatoes. 

***

That night – after a lecture from McGonagall that promised them at least two weeks in detention – they decided to practise moving under the cloak together. On the train they had been a clumsy mess. Try as they might, they couldn’t seem to move in tandem, much to the agony of Sirius, who did his best not to let on how much he was hurting. They had decided to forgive Peter for his momentary hesitation earlier. This was mainly due to the way his chin had wobbled comically when he received his first detention. James had been all for celebrating Peter and Remus’ first detention by sneaking out, but judging by the fact they couldn’t move in harmony beneath the cloak, that seemed out of the question. James and Sirius bickered back and forth.

“Hands to yourself Potter.”  
“Get out my way then!”  
“Excuse me for trying to stay under this cloak!”  
“Ouch, you stepped on my foot!”  
They ended up in a tangled knot at the foot of Remus’ bed. Sirius extracted himself. 

“You guys need to work with me.” Panted James. Sirius gave him an incredulous look.

“It’s not us! It’s you! Uncoordinated clam!”

“Why would clams need to have coordination.” Retorted James. Sirius rolled his eyes and pushed James from the huddle. 

“I’ll prove it’s you, look.” He threw the cloak over him, Peter and Remus. Without James, they moved perfectly. “Told you so!” Laughed Sirius.

James looked wildly around the room. “How do I know you’re not just standing still?”

“Because if you weren’t an idiot, you would follow the sound of our footsteps.”

It took another half hour to work out how to move with the four of them, and by that time, they were far too tired to think about parading around the castle. Peter also pointed out that they didn’t want to get caught when they were in such trouble anyway. James had looked at him in disbelief and reminded him that the whole point of the cloak was that they wouldn’t get caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	19. With a Little Help From My Friends

Lily

The door to the bathroom slammed shut. 

“What’s got her knickers in a twist?” Said Ananja, taking a break from unpacking to stare after Tatty, who had been unusually quiet ever since she got on the train. It was unnerving. 

“I’ll talk to her.” Said Lily. She looked over at Mary, who was fondling her new Polaroid camera. She had promised to lend it to Lily to take picture of the castle to send to her family. The others had been very intrigued by the photos Mary took of them on the train. 

“But we’re still!” Ananja had said in astonishment, almost as surprised as Lily had been when she had first seen a moving picture on her chocolate frog card. That very same card was stuck up on the wall beside Lily’s bed – Albus Dumbledore.

Lily got up and wandered over to Mary’s bedside, where she had already pinned up the photos she had taken over Christmas with her Polaroid.

“I think there’s a potion you can develop them in to make them move, but I kind of like them like this.” Said Mary, standing beside Lily and looking proudly at her collection of photos.

“It feels like home.” Agreed Lily, peering at a particularly nice photo of the MacDonald family around their Christmas tree. In Mary’s lap, there was a sweet looking girl who looked just a few years younger than her, the same Filipino features, and sweet smile. Her slippers matched with Mary. Petunia and Lily used to have matching slippers. “What’s your sister’s name?” She said.

“Malee.” Replied Mary, looking simultaneously jealous and proud. “Of course Mummy gave her the nice name.” Lily reassured her that Mary was a nice name, which seemed to cheer her up. She looked curiously at Lily.

“What did you get for Christmas?” She said. Lily bounced over to her trunk – she had been waiting for someone to ask this. She carefully extracted her new record player.

“Wow!” Said Marlene, hopping over to join Lily and Mary. “Does this mean you have muggle records?” Lily nodded excitedly and showed them her collection. Mary squealed with excitement at the Beatles albums.

“But Lily, where are you going to plug it in?” Said Mary. Lily’s stomach plummeted. She had completely forgotten.

“I-, um. I don’t know.” Her eyes were suddenly full of tears. How could she be so stupid?

Marlene put a hand on hers. It was extremely rare for Marlene to show any kind of affection. “It’s okay Lils. My – my mum used to have a muggle record player, and she would cast a sort of charm on it to make it work without elektrinity.”

“Electricity.” Corrected Lily, her spirits lifting already.

“Whatever.” Said Marlene, rolling her eyes. “We’ll ask Flitwick tomorrow, I’m sure he can show you how to do it, you’re best at charms in the year!” 

Lily didn’t have time to feel hopeful, because at that moment, Tatty stomped out of the bathroom, and yanked the curtains around her bed shut with such a force they were ripped off their hangings. Lily was instantly grateful she had never seen Tatty in such a temper before. The other girls looked pointedly at Lily. She had said she’d talk to her, after all.

“Fancy a game of chess Tatty?” She offered boldly. Tatty turned over grumpily and didn’t reply. Lily had a silent conversation with Marlene with their eyes, and both agreed to let her be for the night.

***

When Lily awoke the next morning, she found herself reaching out for Poppins. Her empty bed reminded her where she was. Sitting up immediately, she looked over at Tatty’s bed. It was empty, and the hangings were still on the floor. ‘She’s not getting away that easily.’ She thought, noticing as she did so that most of her friends seemed to share a dangerous habit of retreating into themselves when they were upset. Lily knew better than to be hurt by it and hurried to get ready.

She found Tatty sulking alone at breakfast. The Gryffindor table was practically empty – everyone still adjusting to the early weekday mornings. Pretending nothing was out of the ordinary, Lily plonked herself next to her, and began to chat merrily about the day. Tatty stabbed at her egg with a ferocity unrivalled to even Petunia’s moodiness.

Try as she might, she was unable to thaw Tatty’s icy mood for the whole morning. Deciding to let the others have a go, she left Tatty and hung back after Charms.

Flitwick beamed up at her. “Lily! What do I owe the pleasure?”

“Sorry to bother you professor,” began Lily nervously. “I just had a question about a charm.”

“Ask away my dear girl, ask away.” He squeaked proudly. She explained the predicament she had found herself in, and he nodded understandingly. 

“Alas the charm is a complicated one, even for a talented student such as you. But not to worry,” He added promptly, when Lily hung her head. “Bring it to my office before dinner, and I will do it for you. For educational purposes!”

“Oh thank you, Professor!”

“On one condition!” He said, his voice even higher than usual. “You bring me one of your muggle records to listen to. I’ve only ever heard The Earwigs!” Lily promised to bring a selection, slightly confused. It was only when she had left the classroom and was hurrying along to lunch that she realised Flitwick had meant The Beatles.

***

“Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes!” Sang Marlene, completely out of tune. Lily laughed and joined in, smiling at Mary, who was pointing her camera at them. Much to Lily’s delight, Marlene had been making her play the album on repeat for the past 24 hours, which was helped by the extra charm Flitwick had put on it, which meant it automatically replayed. St Pepper’s was one of Lily’s all-time favourites. 

“Aww, look at this picture!” Said Mary. She held out the photo she had just taken to Lily and Marlene. It had captured both their laughs. “I think I might develop this one. Y’know with that potion.”

“Here.” Said Lily, pointing her wand at the photo. “Duplicito.” There were now two identical pictures. “Now you can have one moving, and one still.” Mary took the photos excitedly, but after a second thought handed one back to Lily.

“You can have this one.” She said. Lily immediately put it up on the wall beside her bed, which sported a small collection of keepsakes – chocolate frog cards, photos Mary had given her. Marlene was busy doing some kind of balletic taekwondo in the middle of the room. Lily hurriedly turned the record down when Tatty stormed in. Tatty had remained in a foul temper all week, and it was beginning to get on Lily’s nerves. She threw herself on her bed and began tearing up a letter she was clutching.

“What are you looking at?” She snapped brusquely at Lily. 

“Oh I don’t know.” Retorted Lily, losing her composure a little. “Maybe at somebody who used to be my friend, but now I hardly recognise.”

“Oh really?” Tatty stood up angrily, and as she did so a photograph fluttered to the floor. “Don’t touch it!” She screamed too late at Ananja, who had already picked it up.

“Oh Tatty! Is your mum pregnant?” She said excitedly. Nobody moved. Tatty snatched it back, and as she did so, Lily glimpsed what she recognised as an ultrasound.

Carefully, Lily approached the ball of duvet which Tatty was now hidden under. “Is that why you’ve been so upset, Tatty?”

An angry voice emerged from beneath the cacoon. “I’m not upset.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Tatty!” Cursed Lily. To her surprise a giggling Tatty surfaced. 

“I like it when you say that.” She said shyly. Lily blinked.

“Then Jesus Christ, Mother of all Marys and in God’s name tell us what the hell is going on!” She said, making Tatty laugh again. She uncurled her fist so she was looking at the ultrasound.

“Mam’s got a new boyfriend.” She said slowly. She spat the word ‘boyfriend’ as if it was the name of an infectious disease. “As though all her life she hasn’t managed without! And now she’s got herself knocked up!” She tossed the photo into the air, but her eyes followed it to the floor. No-one knew what to say.

“Is the boyfriend staying?” Asked Lily tentatively.

Tatty bobbed her head aggressively. “Yep. Of course he’s the one who stayed.” Lily knew she was referring to her Dad. “It’s just, I know it’s silly, but I won’t be the youngest anymore.” She furiously brushed the tears from her eyes.

“But Tatty, having a younger sibling is great!” Said Mary, sitting on Tatty’s other side. “You have this whole other person who you get to take care of! You get to help shape who they are! And most of all, they really look up to you.” Lily thought how she used to copy everything Petunia did. It had always driven her sister mad. “Think about how you look up to your sister! That’s how the baby will see you!”

“You think so?” Said Tatty, looking tearfully at Mary.

“I know so.” Replied Mary.

Tatty took a huge sniff. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit moody.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Said Lily, putting an arm around her. “Nothing we haven’t dealt with before.” She looked at Marlene, who threw a slipper at her. 

‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ the record sang quietly, and all of the girls laughed.

***

Confessing her feelings seemed to have inspired new spirit into Tatty. Admittedly, the following morning at breakfast she scowled at the letter from her mum, but she didn’t reflect her anger onto her friends. She chattered away at breakfast with her old enthusiasm.

“Hey Lils!” It was Dorcas Meadowes, looking as radiant as ever. Her braids were piled in a high bun on the top of her head, and she was wearing a gold headband. It was lucky the Dorcas was in Gryffindor, thought Lily, because gold really suit her. 

“Hey Dorcas!” Smiled Lily. She noticed Marlene had but her elbow in the butter dish. “How was your Christmas?”

“Oh, you know.” Dorcas’ smile momentarily weakened. “It was alright.” Lily was beginning to wonder if something was wrong when she realised everybody around her had suddenly gone quiet. They were all staring intently at a red envelope clutched in Sirius Black’s hands. He looked mortified. Lily shared a look with Mary as they often did when something magical was happening that they didn’t understand. The corners of the envelope were now beginning to smoke. 

“Open it mate, you’re only going to make it worse.” Encouraged James. Still, Sirius seemed frozen. The envelope gave a great shudder and burst open. 

“SIRIUS ORION BLACK. ROTTEN! TRAITOR! SCUM! I AM ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY SON! HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM THE MOST NOBLE AND ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK AND GIVE THAT MONEY TO HELP MUDBLOODS AND MUGGLES INFECT OUR WORLD LIKE MUTANTS! I HOPE YOU REALISE YOU WILL BE PAYING FOR EVERY FILTHY PENNY FOR THAT BLASTED MUDBLOOD CHARITY YOURSELF! YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY THAT YOU ARE AT SCHOOL, OR YOU WOULD BE PAYING IN MORE THAN MONEY! YOU BEST BE CAREFUL BOY OR WE SHALL MAKE YOUR BROTHER HEIR!”

The letter burst into flames. 

There was an agonising silence in which Lily’s ears rang painfully. A few people at the Slytherin table began to laugh. Immediately, Frank Longbottom started up a loud and rowdy conversation to try to drown them out. The rest of Gryffindor table followed suit. Lily remained watching Sirius, who’s eyes somehow seemed to till be reflecting the flames. She considered the bruise on his face. What had his Mum meant when she said he would be paying in more than money?

Sirius rose to flee the hall, but found his way blocked by Professor McGonagall. He peered up at her – his expression neutral. 

“I would like you to tell me what happened, Mr Black.” She said curtly. He shifted uncomfortably. Although they were pretending to be otherwise engaged, it was clear everybody around them was listening. McGonagall seemed to notice this and changed tact.  
“In my office.” James hovered, half-standing. “Mr Potter may join if you want him to.” Sirius looked at James and nodded almost unnoticeably. The two friends followed the professor out of the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Since I'm back at school, I will only be posting once a week, every Sunday. However if I'm feeling productive you may get a mid week chapter! I'll give updates on my tumblr.
> 
> Hope everybody has a nice day! :)


	20. Running From Lions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise chapter...   
> this chapter very obviously parallels one of the most iconic harry potter moments of the series, which I am obviously not going to take credit for. You'll know it when you see it. I hope you enjoy! if you have any feedback, feel free to comment!

Sirius

Sirius was struck with a ludicrous desire to hold onto James’ hand as they traipsed after McGonagall. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the sound of his mother’s shouting echoing around his head. James put a hand on his shoulder. That was a lot less childish than hand-holding. 

“Sit.” Commanded McGonagall. Having spent many hours in there already, Sirius was very familiar with her office. Just like each of the times he had been summoned there, McGonagall surveyed him over her spectacles. The expression was somewhat cat-like.

Without waiting for her to ask again, Sirius launched into an explanation. He told her how he had been angry at his parents and their views on muggleborns, had snuck into his father’s office where he knew there was a safe of galleons under his desk. How he had looked up some wizarding charities that help muggleborns and sent the whole lot to the first one on the list. 

“I suppose they must have written back to say thank you, and that gave me away.” Finished Sirius. He titled his chin upwards as a show of defiance. “I don’t care that she’s taking it out my vault. There’s too much money in there anyway.” McGonagall and James were staring at him in slight disbelief.

“Let me get this straight, Mr Black.” Said McGonagall. “You stole money from your father?”

“Yes.”

“Who you say is a blood supremacist?”

“Yes.”

“And you donated it to the first charity you could think of, without his permission, in defiance?”

“Yes, and if you’re about to lecture me on how wrong - ”

“Have a biscuit, Black.”

“I – what?” Sirius stared at her in confusion, convinced he had imagined her speaking. But sure enough, she peeled the lid of a tartan tin to reveal an array of ginger newts. She rattled it insistently until he took one. 

“That was foolish, Mr Black.” She said severely, straightening the glasses on her nose.

Sirius stared at her, perplexed. “You just gave me a ginger newt!” He said, mouth full.

“I am impressed by your nerve, and your morals. Nevertheless, I cannot condone stealing. However, as what happened took place outside of school, I don’t see why you should be punished for it, especially seeing as your mother seems to have taken care of that.” She eyed him very seriously, and Sirius swallowed his biscuit, feeling very awkward.   
“Where did you get that bruise?” She said, and her voice was different to usual. Softer, more anxious.

“Oh, um,” Sirius’ mind worked furiously to come up with an explanation. “Play fighting with my brother.” That seemed like a plausible explanation.

“Hmm.” Said McGonagall, one eyebrow arched sceptically. Then, she shoved the tin in his direction again. “Have another biscuit.”

“I’m okay, thanks.” The ginger was burning the roof of his mouth.

“Can I have his?” Said James cheekily. Professor McGonagall glared at him, closing the tin securely.

“You had both better come straight to class with me. We are transfiguring cacti into pincushions, and you two can have a head start.”

“Why should we have to do extra class!” Protested James, still looking longingly at the tin of biscuits. 

McGonagall rose to her feet impressively. “Mr Black stole money from his father, and you for cheek. An attribute I seem to be punishing you for more than I would like.”

***

The transfiguration was the trickiest piece of magic they had done since joining. James of course, had mastered it within the hour, and got let off the homework. He was able to lounge around on the sofa, feet resting on Sirius’ shoulder as he ‘practised his quidditch skills’, which involved scrunching up Peter’s rejected essays and throwing them at random students. It was a miserably wet and cold evening, typical for January. Most of Gryffindor House were in the common room, and that many Gryffindors in one space could only lead to a rowdy ambiance. Sirius peered around, distracted from his work. Lily Evans was teaching Mary MacDonald how to make bubbles appear out of her wand, so that the pair were strangely distorted by the huge bubbles, reminiscent of crystal balls. Marlene and Tatty were trying with equal measure to pop as many as possible with their cacti. Alex Wood had persuaded Frank to stand on his shoulders and was rampaging around the room while Blue chased after them, face worried and arms outstretched. Unusually, Sirius was one of the only quiet ones in the common room. Remus, who sat beside him, was also very quiet, but that was quite usual. He threw down his wand and rubbed his eyes.

“It doesn’t make sense we’re turning it into a pincushion!” He said frustratedly. Sirius tucked his own wand into his robes and turned to him. He loved it when Remus was in a talkative mood. “I mean, that’s the complete opposite of a cactus!”

“But that,” said James, rubbing his foot in Sirius’ face, “is the whole point of transfiguration! Besides, irony seems to be the only humour our McGonagall is interested in. Ouch Sirius!” He withdrew his foot from Sirius’ face, due to the fact Sirius had just pricked him with his cactus. Remus leant forwards to read through Peter’s charms essay. James slipped off the sofa so as to look at him properly.

“Are you alright?” His voice had turn somehow soft and husky; the voice of concern. Sirius didn’t meet his eye. The truth was, as long as he didn’t think about it, as long as he pushed out the words of the howler, he was fine. 

“I’m fine, Potter.” He managed not to snap. For the first time.

James’ gaze lingered on him, tracing the bruising on his face. “Sirius, what happened to your face?” Said James, very quietly.

Sirius took his time in answering him, chewing the knuckle on his thumb. “I already told you.” He said emotionlessly. He knew James wouldn’t believe him; he knew that James understood what had happened, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, Sirius.” Sirius nodded his head a fraction. Then, out of nowhere, James slapped his knees and rose to his feet. “I know what you need my friend!”

Sirius looked up at him, pleased to see James’ eyebrows had unknitted, his usual grin plastered across his face. “What’s that?”

“Adventure!”

***

Somehow, James had known exactly what Sirius had needed. Even more miraculously, they had managed to persuade Remus to come with them. Peter, of course, did whatever James did, so it was all four of them that remained in the common room as the night grew late. When Sirius grew impatient, and James deemed it late enough to be considered illicit enough, they all slipped under the cloak. 

Their practise had paid off. They were all able to move with ease through the castle. It was quite spooky – the empty corridors, rain lashing against the windows, the sound of his friends’ excited breathing. More than once, a portrait called out “who’s there?”. James and Sirius responded by whispering the most random answers they could come up with and giggling hysterically.  
When they had wandered along several corridors the novelty began to wear off.

“What should we do now?” Said Sirius.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could get into the Slytherin common room?” Said James wistfully, apparently not listening. 

“Wh-why would that be great?” Stammered Peter nervously. 

Sirius turned abruptly on the spot, yanking the others after him. “I bet I can find it.” He answered their protests. “In case you didn’t gather from my mother’s delightful message this morning, my whole family is in Slytherin. The common room is under the lake, it’s got to be in the dungeons.”

“Figures.” Snorted James.

The four hurried to the dungeons. They had the pleasure of meeting Mrs Norris on their way. Sirius took it upon himself to meow aggressively at her. The four laughed at the expression on her face.

“Who’s there?” Called out a voice from behind them. James steered them towards the wall. It was… Drommie? She was squinting through the dark. She looked thoroughly startled. Her hair was slightly messed up, lipstick slightly smudged, cheeks flushed. Sirius knew she wouldn’t be caught dead looking like that. Once she was sure she was alone, she hurried along the corridor.

“Follow her. We can find out where the common room is.” Urged Sirius, and they stumbled after her. Left, right, left again. Drommie had approached Sirius earlier in the day, much to the happiness of James. She didn’t bother scolding him, she just gave him a fierce hug, which told Sirius she was secretly impressed. They had reached a dead end. He felt Peter and Remus retreat, seeming to think she was about to turn around. He grabbed their wrists to stop them, pointing at his cousin.   
She glanced over her shoulder two or three times, then whispered “Serpentine” to the wall and disappeared through a previously concealed door. 

“You bloody legend, you!” said James, ruffling Sirius’ hair and lurching forwards, cloak almost slipping off.

Remus held him back. “We can’t go in now!”

James and Sirius turned to look at him dumbly. “Why not?” They said unanimously.

“The cloak makes you invisible, not invincible, you know.” Chided Remus. 

“Sound pretty similar to me.” Said James, and Remus rolled his eyes.

“There’s bound to be a few Slytherins still up, and they would definitely notice if their secret door opened. Besides, if we got caught they would both change the password and know we have the cloak, both of which are huge advantages, and then we won’t be able to do what you’re probably already planning.” Argued Remus.

“We’ve corrupted him!” Cheered James, throwing his arm around Remus.

“Nah we haven’t.” Said Sirius. “He’s just giving himself more time to talk us out of it.”

For the first time, Sirius saw a wave of mischief pass over Remus’ eyes, before he returned his gaze to the ground again.

It was only when Sirius clambered into bed than night did he begin to wonder where Drommie had snuck off to in the middle of the night, apparently alone, and if it had anything to do with the secret she had hinted at during the Christmas holidays.

***

_Rotton. Traitor. Scum. I’m ashamed to call you my son. A hand emerged from the tongue of the envelope. A ringed hand, the black family crest staring at him. It was followed by an arm, a shoulder, a head. His mother’s head. Sirius screamed. ___

__The words were still ringing around his head when he woke with a start. He hoped desperately he hadn’t actually called out. But Peter was still snoring. He let out a shuddering breath and wrapped his arms around himself. Still the words echoed around his head._ _

__“Please stop, please stop. Stop.” He whimpered, rocking back and forth on his bed. Suddenly, the hangings around his bed were drawn back. Sirius retreated, before realising it was just James. His friend James. Maybe he had called out after all._ _

__“Nightmare?” Said James in the same voice he had used earlier when he asked if Sirius was okay. Sirius considered lying, then gave a tiny nod of his head._ _

__‘There you go, James. Now you know I’m a coward. Now you know I don’t belong in Gryffindor at all’ he thought._ _

__But James clambered into his bed, gently removed Sirius’ arms from clutching himself, and replaced them with his own. Sirius clutched at him, desperately. He let out a strangled sob, and James hugged him harder. He rubbed a hand up and down Sirius’ back._ _

__“You’re okay, you’re okay.” Repeated James over and over again, until the sounds of the howler was drowned out by the voice of his friend. When Sirius’ heartbeat slowed, and his breathing calmed, James withdrew his arms._ _

__He must have noticed the way Sirius immediately wrapped himself with his arms again. “Do you want me to stay?” He said gently. Sirius nodded again. He wanted to say thank you, but it seemed he was unable to speak. James squeezed his hand as if he understood and arranged the duvet over himself and Sirius._ _

__“I don’t want to talk about it.” Whispered Sirius._ _

__“I know.” Said James, patting Sirius clumsily on the back._ _

__“But I will. One day.” Sirius said, feeling it was important he should tell James this. Important James understood._ _

__“I know.” Said James again. And in that moment Sirius knew James understood perfectly._ _


End file.
